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a 


MODERN   PHOTOGPAPHY 


IN 


THEOPY  AND  PRACTICE 


A  HAND  BOOK  TOP  THE  AMATEUR 


Bv  HENRY  G.  ABBOTT 


CHICAGO: 
GEO  K  HAZLITT  k  CO., 

PUBLISHERS 


Copyrighted  1898 
Copyrighted  1899 

BY 
GEO.  K.  HAZLITT  *    CO. 


This  volume  has  been  printed  for  the  convenience  of 
amateur  photographers.  There  are  two  kinds  of  ama- 
teurs, one  that  presses  the  button  and  allows  the  profes- 
sional to  do  the  rest  and  the  other,  the  earnest  student, 
who  has  ambiiion  to  become,  in  every  sense  of  the 
word,  a  photographer.  This  volume  was  not  prepared 
for  the  former,  for  he  rarely,  if  ever,  makes  any  prog- 
ress, and  in  fact  does  not  seek  to  do  so.  Many  diffi- 
culties and  obstacles  are  encountered  by  every  amateur 
and  this  volume  is  intended  to  reduce  these  difficulties 
as  much  as  possible,  by  giving  advice  and  instruction, 
which,  if  followed  carefully,  will  save  the  amateur's 
money  and  many  perplexities  and  annoyances. 

Cleanliness  is  a  prime  requisite  in  all  the  various 
branches  of  photography,  from  the  loading  of  the  plate 
holder  to  the  finishing  of  the  print,  if  we  would  meet 
with  success.  "Where  formulae  are  given,  the  exact 
proportions  must  be  adhered  to.  There  are  no  short-cuts 
in  photography  and  no  guesswork  when  using  chemi- 
cals. Every  chemical  must  be  weighed  or  measured 
with  as  much  care  as  though  you  were  putting  up  a 
prescription  for  a  patient.  Carelessness  in  regard  to 
either  of  the  above  points  will  only  lead  to  failure  and 
make  you  disgusted  with  your  camera,  your  plates  and 

1 


2  PREFACE. 

yourself.  Ninety-nine  times  out  of  a  hundred,  failures 
are  the  result  of  carelessness  and  are  not  the  fault  of 
the  camera  maker,  or  the  plate  or  paper  manufacturer. 
Mix  common  sense  reasoning  with  your  chemicals. 
Read  carefully,  not  superficially,  all  the  works  and  trade 
journals  on  photography  that  are  within  your  reach. 
The  trade  journal  or  book  is  poor,  indeed,  which  cannot 
give  you  some  new  idea,  or  at  least  throw  light  on  some 
subject  which  heretofore  has  been  unintelligible  to  you. 
This  work  is  based  on  the  experiences  of  the  writer 
who  is  an  amateur,  not  a  professional.  He  has  not 
graduated  and  probably  never  will,  and  is  constantly 
running  up  against  troublesome  problems.  He  well 
remembers  all  the  perplexities  he  had  to  contend  with 
and  hopes  and  believes  that  this  volume  will  save  the 
amateur  much  worry  and  needless  expense. 

H.  G.  A. 


NOTE  TO  THE   rOURTH    EDITION. 


Since  the  publication  of  the  first  edition  two  new  and 
important  chapters  have  been  added,  for  which  the 
author  is  indebted  to  Messrs.  G.  J.  M.  Ashby  and  Ralph 
D.  Cleveland.  These  chapters,  which  treat  on  halation 
and  the  use  of  stops,  are  of  vital  importance  to  every 
amateur  and  are  written  in  a  manner  to  be  easily  under- 
stood even  by  the  novice.  H.   G.  A. 


CONTENTS 

Chapter  I.                                         page 
Classification  of  Cameras 5 

Chapter  II. 
Description  of  the  Types  of  Cameras 10 

Chapter  III. 

Action  of  Light  ;    Plates  ;    Loading  the    Holders  ;  The 
Record 21 

Chapter  IV. 

The  Use  of  the  Tripod;  Focusing  Cloth;    Exposure 37 

Chapter  V. 

Development;  Trays;  Fixing  Box  ;  Drying  Rack;  Fixing 
AND  Washing 44 

Chapter  VI. 

The  Dark  Room;  Location;   Dark   Room  Lanterns 53 

Chapter  VII. 

The  Use  of  Factors;  Developers;   Fixing  Baths 67 

Chapter  VIII. 

Intensification;  Reduction;   Faults  of  Negatives 79 

Chapter  IX. 

Spotting  ;  Retouching 93 

Chapter  X. 

Printing    Frames;    Dusting;    Printing    and    Toning   of 

Papers 106 

3 


4  CONTENTS. 

Chapter  XI. 
Freak  Photographs;  Moonlights;   Lightning  Photos 167 

Chapter  XII. 
Night  Photography 176 

Chapter  XIII. 
Stereoscopic  Photography;  Panoramic  Photography 180 

Chapter  XIV. 
Color  Screens  and  Ray  Filters 191 

Chapter  XV. 
Flash  Light  Photography 197 

Chapter  XVI. 

Lantern  Slides 201 

Chapter  XVII. 

Transparencies  and    Enlargements  ;  Bromide  Enlarge- 
ments  210 

Chapter  XVIII. 

Trimming  and  Mounting  of  Prints;  The  Scrap  Book 224 

Chapter  XIX. 

Halation;  Non-Halation  Plates;  Backing  Plates 231 

Chapter  XX. 

Stops  or  Diaphrams  and  Their  Uses 240 


MODERN  PHOTOGRAPHY. 


CHAPTER  I. 

Cameras  are  divided  into  two  general  classes,  snap- 
shot or  box  cameras  and  tripod  or  professional  cameras. 
It  is  true  that  the  box  camera  may  also  be  used  in  con- 
nection with  the  tripod  and  that  all,  or  nearly  all,  of 
them  are  arranged  for  time  exposures  as  well  as  instan- 
taneous or  snap-shot  work.  Box  cameras  are  again 
divided  into  fixed  focus  and  bellows  cameras,  into  those 
using  films  and  those  using  glass  plates  and  those  using 
single  plates  and  those  fitted  with  a  magazine.  Bellows 
cameras  are  again  divided  into  two  classes,  those  with  a 
bellows  inclosed  in  the  box  and  worked  backward  and 
forward  by  means  of  an  indicator  on  the  top  of  the  box 
and  those  having  an  exposed  bellows  which  is  drawn 
out  by  letting  down  the  front  of  the  box.  The  ave- 
rage amateur  buys  the  cheapest  camera  he  can  find,  as  a 
rule  and  often  the  results  obtained  disgust  him  with 
photography  forever.  If  you  desire  to  take  up  photog- 
raphy with  a  view  of  making  good  pictures,  artistic  ones 
and  propose  to  stick  to  it  until  you  succeed,  by  all  means 
purchase  a  good  article  at  the  start.     If,  however,  you 

6 


6  MODERN     niOTOGRAPHY 

simply  wish  to  press  the  button  and  then  hire  some  pro- 
fessional to  develop  your  plates  and  print  and  tone  your 
pictures,  then  any  camera  is  good  enough  for  you,  no 
matter  how  cheap  and  how  poor. 

Now  as  to  whether  you  Vill  select  a  camera  using 
films  or  a  camera  using  glass  plates  you  must  be  the 
judge.  The  film  camera  possesses  the  advantage  of 
being  light  and  under  certain  circumstances  is  to  be 
preferred  to  a  camera  which  uses  glass  plates. 

The  war  correspondent  and  explorer  could  hardly  use 
glass  plates  to  as  good  advantage  as  films,  as  he  would 
have  to  rely  upon  a  changing  bag  to  change  his  plates 
in  and  the  glass  plates  being  fragile  would  be  liable  to 
be  broken  and  their  faces  scrubbed  and  scratched. 

Let  us  explain  the  difference  between  a  film  and  a 
plate  camera,  in  order  that  you,  who  have  not  alread} 
made  a  selection,  may  thoroughly  understand  it. 

A  plate  camera  is  one  using  glass  plates  coated  with 
a  sensitive  emulsion  and  this  plate  is  held  in  what  is 
known  as  a  plate  holder,  with  the  coated  or  emulsion 
side  outward,  so  that  the  light,  passing  through  the 
lens,  when  the  shutter  is  open,  falls  upon  the  sensitive 
emulsion.  A  film  camera  is  one  in  which  the  image  is 
recorded  upon  a  piece  of  celluloid,  which  is  coated  with 
a  sensitive  emulsion,  as  in  the  case  of  the  glass  plate. 
Films  are  of  two  general  types,  roll,  or  cartridge  and 
cut  or  fiat  films.  The  roll  or  cartridiie  film  is  a  con- 
tinuous  strip  which  is  coated  on  one  side,  while  the  cut 


A  Study  in  Lighting. 


1-.  Y.  Judil.  Pciulleton,  t)re. 


K 


IN    THEORY    AND    PRACTICE.  7 

film  is  the  size  of  a  single  picture.  The  cut  film  is  held 
in  position  in  a  holder,  the  same  as  a  plate  but  the 
cartridge  film  needs  no  holder,  since  it  unwinds  from  a 
spool  at  one  side  an^  winds  up  on  another  spool  on  the 
other.  Now  there  i?  another  difference  between  a 
cartridge  and  a  cut  film.  To  load  your  plate  holders 
with  cut  films  you  require  a  dark  room  the  same  as  you 
do  if  you  are  using  plates  but  a  cartridge  film  can  be 
put  in  or  taken  out  of  the  camera  in  the  daylight.  The 
film  is  rolled  upon  a  spool  and  is  covered  with  a  strip  of 
black  paper  from  one  end  to  the  other  and  this  strip 
extends  several  inches  beyond  the  film  on  each  end. 
This  paper  connects  with  the  flanges  on  the  spool  and 
thus  forms  a  light-tight  spool,  known  as  a  cartridge. 
The  spool  can  be  inserted  in  the  camera  at  the  back, 
after  loosening  the  fastening  which  holds  the  black  paper 
in  place.  The  paper  is  then  threaded  into  the  slot  on 
the  other  spool,  which  is  on  the  opposite  side  of  the 
camera.  The  camera  is  then  closed  and  the  key  turned 
until  the  black  paper  has  been  wound  off  and  the  film  is 
then  in  place  ready  for  exposure.  The  black  paper  is 
still  back  of  the  film  and  at  regular  intervals,  depending 
on  the  size  of  the  picture,  the  black  paper  is  numbered 
in  white  ink,  from  i  to  12,  or  whatever  number  of 
"exposures"  the  cartridge  contains.  In  the  back  of  the 
box  will  be  found  a  small  red  window  and  the  white 
figures  are  easily  seen  through  it,  showing  just  how  far 
to  turn  the  key. 


8  MODERN     PHOTOGRAPHY 

You  cannot  become  a  photographer  in  a  day,  or  a 
month,  or  a  year.  Some  persons  seem  to  have  the 
happy  faculty  of  taking  good  pictures  from  the  start, 
while  others  after  months  of  experience  are  little  better 
♦han  they  were  the  first  week.  The  theoretical  ama- 
teur, who  can  tell  you  all  about  lenses  and  cameras, 
exposures  and  development  is  legion.  Theory  is  all 
well  enough  but  with  your  theory  combine  practice. 
Never  mind  about  the  angle  of  your  lens  or  its  focal 
length  until  you  have  mastered  some  of  the  more  neces- 
sary details. 

Before  selecting  a  camera  you  must  make  up  your 
mind  just  what  kind  of  work  you  wish  to  do.  You  can 
perhaps  better  understand  what  you  want  after  we  have 
passed  in  review  the  leading  types  of  cameras  on  the 
market.  The  difference  between  a  good  camera  and  a 
poor  one  lies  very  largely  in  the  lens  and  yet  a  cheap 
lens  is  sometimes  very  effective.  For  landscapes  a  single 
lens  answers  very  well  but  when  we  come  to  use  these 
lenses  in  photographing  buildings,  etc.,  we  find  that  they 
have  a  decided  tendency  to  lean  and  it  makes  no  differ- 
ence how  careful  we  may  be,  this  objection  cannot  be 
done  away  with.  In  late  years,  however, there  has  been 
a  marked  improvement  in  all  of  the  cheap,  single  lenses 
and  we  have  seen  such  lenses  in  very  cheap  cameras  that 
were  so  perfect  that  even  tall  buildings  were  perfectly 
upright  and  they  apparently  differed  from  the  better 
grade  of  rapid  reclilinears  only  in  the  depth  of  detail 


IN    THEORY    AND    PRACTICE.  9 

and  the  rapidity  of  action.  Most  of  the  modern  cameras 
companies  manufacture  their  box  cameras  with  single 
achromatic  or  rapid  rectilinear  lenses  and  fix  their  prices 
accordingly.  The  lens  is  to  the  camera  what  the  eye  is 
to  the  human  body.  If  the  lens  is  poor  or  limited  in 
capacity,  to  just  such  an  extent  will  the  picture  lack 
details,  sharpness  and  parallelism  of  lines.  Our  advice 
is,  if  you  propose  to  follow  up  and  master  all  the  de- 
tails of  photography,  by  all  means  buy  a  camera  with  a 
rectilinear  lens  and  you  will  then  be  fitted  for  all  the 
various  kinds  of  work,  as  landscapes,  interiors,  portraits, 
views  of  buildings,  etc.  For  good  portrait  work,  how- 
ever, a  special  lens  is  required,  one  made  for  the  pur- 
pose. Next  to  the  lens  in  importance  comes  a  good 
shutter,  one  that  is  free  from  jar  and  tremble;  light,  but 
yet  rigid  enough  to  stand  the  strain  of  long  use.  The 
camera  should  be  simple  in  construction,  free  from  com- 
plicated mechanism,  compact  and  light. 

Nearly  every  camera  has  its  own  good  points  and  has 
its  friends  and  we  therefore  shall  not  try  to  influence 
the  reader  in  his  selection  further  than  to  advise  him  to 
purchase  a  good  article  at  the  start.  We  shall  review 
the  leading  types  of  cameras  on  the  market  and  leave 
the  selection  to  the  reader. 


CHAPTEr? 


We  will  endeavor  to  thorough  explain  the  various 
kinds  of  cameras  on  the  market.  As  we  said  before,  box 
cameras  are  divided  into  two  general  types,  those  hav- 
ing a  fixed  focus  and  those  having  a  bellows.  Fig.  i 
illustrates  the  Premo  V,  a  cheap  camera  of  the  universal 
or  hxed  focus  type.       By    a  fixed  focus  is  meant  that 

this  camera  has  no  bellows 
to  draw  in  or  out,  for  the 
lens  is  of  the  single  achro- 
matic type,  so  that  no  matter 
whether  you  are  taking  a 
picture  six  feet  or  five  hun- 
dred feet  away,  it  will  be  in 
focus  just  the  same.  The 
term  focus  will  be  made 
clear  when  we  come  to  a 
description  of  the  practical  use  of  the  instrument.  This 
camera,  like  all  others  that  we  shall  describe,  uses  glass 
plates.  The  plate  is  inserted  in  the  holder  and  the  holder 
is  inserted  in  the  rear  of  the  camera  box,  through  a  door 
made  for  the  purpose.  Then  when  the  slide  is  pulled 
we  are  ready  to  take  a  shot.  This  camera  has  an 
adjustable  diaphragm,  having  large  and  small  openings 
for  the  admission   of  light.     The  shutter  is  adapted  for 

10 


IN    THEORY    AND    PRACTICE. 


II 


both  time  and  instantaneous  work  and  the  speed  can  be 
governed  by  means  of  a  small  lever  at  the  front.  The 
large  central  opening  in  the  end  is  the  lens  and  the  two 
smaller  ones  at  the  top  and  side  are  the  finders.  The 
finder  consists  of  a  small  lens  and  just  back  of  it  is  a 
small  mirror  placed  at  an  angle,  so  that  the  view  is  re- 
flected upwards  and  is  seen  on  the  small  piece  of  ground 

glass  inserted  in  the 
top  of  the  box.  By 
shading  the  finder  with 
the  hand  and  pointing 
the  camera  in  the  di- 
rection of  the  object  or 
scene  to  be  photo- 
graphed, a  reduced 
image  of  the  object 
may  be  seen  on  the 
ground  glass  and  as 
the  finder  is  made  to  coincide  with  the  lens,  the  view  we 
see  in  the  finer  is  the  one  we  will  have  on  our  plate.  The 
finder  gives  the  same  view  that  the  focusing  screen  at 
the  rear  does,  except  that  the  view  is  reduced  in  size  and 
is  not  upside  down  as  it  is  on  the  focusing  screen.  On 
the  focusing  screen,  in  the  rear  of  a  bellows  camera,  the 
view  is  transmitted  by  the  large  lens  with  which  the  pic- 
ture is  taken  but  in  the  finder  it  is  transmitted  by  the 
small  finder  lens.  Other  cameras  of  this  type  have  a  bel- 
lows concealed  in  the  box  and  this  bellows  is  moved  back 


Fig    2. 


12  MODERN    PHOTOGRAPHY 

and  forth  by  a  lever.  Such  cameras  do  not  use  fixed 
focus  lenses  and  hence  the  necessity  of  focusing  by  draw- 
ing in  or  pulling  out  the  bellows. 

Fig.  2  illustrates  the  Premo  Sr.,  a  type  of  bellows  or 
folding  box  camera.  This  instrument  is  first  class  in 
every  respect  and  represents  one  of  the  very  best  types 
^)f  cameras  for  the  amateur.     It  is  made  in  various  sizes 

from    31^x4^     to    8x10. 

•  The  4x5   size  is  the  most 

popular  among  amateurs  in 
all    makes   of   cameras.     It 
is  a   great   mistake  for  the 
novice  to  purchase  a  large 
!        camera.     The  larger  the 
'        camera  the  greater  the  ex- 
"   ■  '  pense    involved    for    plates, 

developing  trays,  washing 
and  hypo  boxes,  paper,  printing  frames  and  mounts.  A 
well  chosen  subject,  properly  exposed,  developed  and 
printed,  in  a  4x5  size,  will  always  stand  enlarging  to 
8  x  10  or  larger.  Mistakes  and  failures  are  bound  to 
happen  to  all  amateurs  and  for  this  reason  it  will  found 
much  more  economical  to  use  a  small,  rather  than  a  large 
camera.  Plates,  paper,  etc.,  for  the  4x5  size  are  kept 
in  stock  by  dealers  in  all  parts  of  the  world,  while  other 
sizes  are  not  always  to  be  had  so  readily.  The  Premo 
Sr.,  4x5,  when  closed,  measures  4^x5^x7  inches.  Fig. 
3  illustrates  this  camera  when  closed. 


IN    THEORY    AND    PRACTICE,  1 3 

By  pressing  a  concealed  button  at  the  top,  the  front  falls 
down  into  position  and  is  rigidly  held  there  by  a  brace, 
which  is  shown  at  the  right  in  Fig.  2.  Just  above  the 
words  Premo  Sr.  you  will  see  a  brass  lever.  This  lever 
is  connected  with  a  cam  and  by  turning  it,  as  shown  in 
the  illustration,  the  front  of  the  camera  is  bound  in  posi- 
tion. Push  this  lever  to  the  left,  (looking  at  the  camera 
from  the  front)  and  draw  out  the  bellows  and  clamp  it 
in  position  by  turning  the  lever  as  shown  in  the  illustra- 
tion. On  the  right  hand  side  will  be  found  a  white  cel- 
luloid scale  and  an  index  finger.  The  scale  is  for  focus- 
ing when  using  the  instrument  as  a  hand  camera.  If  the 
main  object  to  be  photographed  is  fifty  feet  away,  you 
draw  out  the  bellows  until  the  index  finger  points  to  fifty 
on  the  scale.  The  small  square  box  on  the  left  is  the 
view  finder  previously  referred  to  and  it  is  pivoted  so 
it  can  be  turned  over  when  taking  high  or  panel  pic- 
tures. Two  kinds  of  pictures  can  be  taken,  one  which 
is  four  inches  high  by  five  inches  wide  and  another  which 
is  five  inches  high  by  four  inches  wide.  The  camera  is 
now  in  a  position  to  take  the  former  and  in  the  event  that 
we  wish  to  photograph  a  church  with  a  steeple,  a  high 
building  or  tall  trees,  we  simply  turn  the  camera  over, 
with  the  view  finder  on  top  and  turn  the  finder  on  its 
pivot.  We  will  now  get  a  picture  which  is  five  inches 
high  and  four  inches  wide. 

This  camera  has  a  rack  and  pinion  for  fine  focusing 
when  using  the  ground    glass.     To  the  right  and  left 


MODERN    PHOTOGRAPHY. 


of  the  bellows  will  be  seen  the  two  milled  nuts  which 
operate  the  mechanism.  On  the  front  board  will  be 
seen  the  lens,  shutter  and  diaphragm  and  in  order  to 
examine  and  understand  their  workings  see  the  en- 
larged vdew  at  Fig.  4.  Ordinarily  the  diaphragm  con- 
sists of    a    circular  piece    of    metal  plate  with  various 

sizes  of  holes  cut  through  it 
and  is  also  known  as  the 
stop.  This  camera  has  what 
is  known  as  an  iris  diaph- 
ragm, similar  to  that  in  the 
human  eye  and  this  diaph- 
ragm opens  and  shuts  by 
moving  the  small  index  at 
the  bottom  marked  C.  The 
use  of  the  diaphragm  will  be 
explained  later  on.  The  cen- 
ter is  occupied  by  the  lens 
and  as  it  is  of  the  double  va- 
riety, one  half  is  located  in  front  and  the  other  half  in  the 
rear  of  the  lens  tube,  leaving  room  for  both  the  diaphragm 
and  shutter  between  the  front  and  back  combinations, 
In  the  illustration  the  diaphragm  is  opened  to  a  16  stop 
and  the  shutter  is  also  open.  The  circular  plate  above 
the  lens  is  the  shutter  mechanism  and  dial.  It  will  be 
obserVeffhat  this  dial  is  marked  100 — 25 — 5 — 2 — i — B. 
• — T.  If  the  dial  is  turned  until  the  hand  points  to  100, 
then  j-J-^  second  exposure  will  be  made,  if   to  25  the  5*5, 


IN    THEORY    AND    PRACTICE.  ij 

if  5  then  i,  if  2  then  ^  and  if  i  then  i  second  exposure. 
When  the  dial  is  turned  until  the  hand  points  to  B  then  the 
shutter  will  remain  open  so  long  as  the  pressure  is  ex- 
erted on  the  bulb,  or  if  the  hand  points  to  T  then 
one  pressure  of  the  bulb  will  open  the  shutter  and  the 
next  pressure  closes  it.  To  manipulate  the  shutter,  the 
lever  A  at  the  top  is  moved  to  the  left,  as  shown  by 
the  dotted  lines  at  F,  until  a  click  is  heard.  This  winds 
the  spring  which  sets  the  shutter  in  motion.  The  shutter 
can  be  released  either  by  pressing  upon  the  lever  D  or 
by  pressing  the  bulb,  which  is  shown  in  Fig.  2. 

The  front  board  of  this  camera  can  be  moved  up  or 
down  or  to  the  right  or  left  as  occasion  may  require  and 
is  technically  known  as  a  double  sliding  front.  By  con- 
sulting Figs.  2  and  3  you  will  observe  a  pair  of  hinges 
on  the  left  hand  side  of  the  box.  By  pressing  another 
concealed  button  you  can  open  the  door  to  which 
these  hinges  belong  and  can  then  open  a  small  door 
in  the  rear  of  the  box.  This  small  door  is  opened  when 
using  the  focusing  screen.  In  looking  through  the  side 
door  we  see  the  back  of  the  camera,  consisting  of  a  focus- 
ing screen,  which  covers  the  4x5  opening.  This  ground 
glass  is  spring-actuated  and  recedes  to  allow  the  in- 
sertion of  the  plate  holder.  Back  of  the  focusing  screen 
there  is  sufficient  space  in  which  to  carry  two  plate  hold- 
ers, so  that  the  camera  in  all  will  accommodate  three 
plate  holders,  holding  two  plates  each  or  six  plates  in  all: 
The  back  of  the  camera  has  a  double  swing;  that  is,  the 


i6 


MODERN    PHOTOGRAPHY 


entire  back,  focusing  screen,  plate  holder  and  all  can  be 
tilted  forward  and  back,  or  horizontally  from  right  to 
left.  The  purpose  of  this  will  be  explained  later. 
This  camera  has  two  tripod  plates  for  holding  it  in  posi- 
tion for  either  panel  or  square  pictures. 

Fig.  5  illustrates  the  Reversible  Back  Premo,  which  is 


^!sr-  s- 


ve.y  similar  to  the  Premo  Sr,  except  that  it  has  a  much 
longer  bellows  and  the  back  as  well  as  the  front  of  the 
box  opens  and  forms  a  bed  for  the  bellows  to  work  on. 
When  a  panel  picture  is  desired  with  this  camera,  it  is 
not  necessary  to  turn  it  over  but  simply  reverse  the  back 
without  moving  the  camera  itself  This  adjustment  is 
especially  desirable  when  the  camera  is  used  on  a  tripod. 
The  bellows  on  this  camera  in  the  4x5  size  is  i7/^ 
inches  long,  while  the  draw  of  the  Premo  Sr.  is  about 
8  inches.     This  extra  long  bellows  is  very    useful,  as 


IN   THEORY    AND    PRACTICE. 


17 


the  camera  will  then  take  full  sized  pictures;  that  is,  will 
reproduce  objects  in  their  natural  size,  and  with  it  you 
can  do  copying  and  enlarging.  As  a  usual  thing,  one 
plate   holder   is   furnished    with  each  camera  and    extra 


holders  can  be  purchased  at  any  time.  A  good  outfit 
includes  six  holders  but  the  amateur  can  get  along  very 
nicely  with  three,  as  he  then  has  six  plates  at  his  disposal 
before  reloading. 

Fig  6  illustrates  the  Magazine  Cyclone  Camera,  a 
type  of  camera  which  has  come  on  the  market  in 
late  years.  In  outward  appearance  it  is  not  unlike 
the  camera  shown  in  Fig.  i,  but  internally  it  is  quite 
different.  The  box  is  fitted  with  a  single  universal  fixed 
focus  lens  of  good  quality  and  has  two  view  finders. 
This  camera  holds  twelve  plates    at    one    loading  and 


l8  MODERN    PHOTOGRAPHY 

does  not  require  any  extra  plate  holders  but  is  complete 
in  itself.  The  shutter  is  always  set.  The  illustration 
shows  the  camera  with  a  part  of  the  box  cut  away  so 
that  the  magazine  is  exposed  to  view.  The  plate  hold- 
ers or  carriers  are  made  of  metal,  with  round  holes 
punched  in  them  at  the  bottom,  for  the  reception  of 
the  supports.  When  the  camera  is  loaded  the  twelve 
carriers  stand  upright,  leaving  the  outer  plate  exposed, 
ready  to  take  the  picture.  When  the  picture  is  taken, 
turn  the  button  on  the  top  of  the  camera  to  the  right, 
which  releases  and  drops  the  exposed  plate,  leaving  the 
next  one  ready  for  another  picture.  This  operation  can 
be  repeated  until  all  of  the  twelve  plates  have  been  ex- 
posed. When  all  the  plates  have  been  exposed,  the 
camera  is  taken  into  the  dark  room,  the  back  is  removed 
and  the  tray  containing  the  twelve  plates  drawn  out.  The 
metal  carriers  are  lifted  off  the  pins,  the  plates  removed 
and  new  ones  inserted.  The  tray  is  now  replaced  in 
the  camera  and  the  carriers  holding  the  plates  are  in- 
serted again  in  an  upright  position.  The  back  is  now 
put  on  and  you  are  ready  for  twelve  more  views. 

Fig.  7  illustrates  the  Adlake  Repeater,  a  magazine 
camera,  somewhat  similar  to  the  one  just  described.  The 
cut  represents  the  repeater  with  a  portion  of  the  box  cut 
away  to  show  the  internal  mechanism.  Thecamera  holds 
twelve  plate- holders,  six  of  which  may  be  s'een  standing 
upright  at  the  back  of  the  camera.  The  holders  have 
projecting  wires  at  the  bottom,  which  are  represente-'i  by 


IN    THEORY    AND    PRACTICE.  I9 

dots  and  rest  upon  metal  slides.  The  front  holder  has 
it  wires  between  the  teeth  of  the  notched  arm.  After 
making  an   exposure,  the  lever  is   moved  one   number, 


Fig.  7. 

which  lowers  the  arm  and  holder  and  allows  the  holder 
to  pass  the  strip  at  the  top  which  holds  it  in  position. 
The  holder  then  falls  to  the  bottom,  as  indicated  by  the 
dotted  lines.  After  exposure  the  plates  are  released  by 
reversing  the  lever,  which  raises  them  again  into  an  up- 
right position.  A  strong  spring  behind  the  plate  holders, 
moves  them  forward  and  keeps  the  front  plate  in  the 


20  MODERN    PHOTOGRAPHY 

focal  plane.  This  camera,  like  the  others  described, 
is  arranged  for  both  time  and  instantaneous  work  and 
has  two  view  tinders  for  panel  or  square  pictures. 

We  have  now  described  the  various  classes  of  cameras 
on  the  market,  with  the  exception  of  special  cameras, 
such  as  the  stereoscopic,  panorama,  copying,  etc.,  which 
will  be  described  when  we  reach  the  point  where  the 
amateur  will  feel  that  he  can  use  use  them  successfully. 
It  is  impossible  with  the  space  at  our  command  to  de- 
scribe all  the  various  makes  of  cameras  on  the  market 
but  they  all  belong  to  either  one  or  the  other  of  the  types 
already  described  and  vary  only  in  their  minor  detals  of 
manufacture 


CHAPTEr?  fSI. 

Whether  you  develop  your  plates  j^ourself,  or  have 
;he  work  done  for  you  by  the  professional,  it  is  necessary 
to  know  something  about  plates  and  the  chemical  action 
of  light  and  the  more  you  know  in  this  respect  the  greater 
your  chances  of  having  good  negatives.  You  are  doubt- 
less aware  of  the  fact  that  the  action  of  light  is  quite  dif- 
ferent on  various  materials.  With  one  material  it  has  a 
tendency  to  bleach,  while  with  another  it  has  the  reverse 
effect  and  darkens  or  discolors.  The  housewife  lays 
her  linen  on  the  grass  in  the  sunlight  in  order  to  bleach 
it  and  yet  the  same  sunlight  changes  the  color  of  nearly 
all  red  paint  to  brown  or  black.  The  whole  principle 
of  photography  is  based  upon  the  action  of  light  upon 
certain  well  known  sensitive  mediums.  These  mediums 
are  known  as  salts,  the  most  sensitive  of  which  is  brom- 
ide of  silver  and  hence  it  is  used  in  making  photo- 
graphic plates  and  certain  forms  of  printing  paper.  Or- 
dinary printing  papers,  however,  are  made  not  from 
bromide  but  from  chloride  of  silver.  Chlorine  is  a  gas 
and  it  he; s  a  great  affinity  for  metals  and  salts  of  various 
kinds  and  when  united  with  silver  forms  chloride  of  sil- 
ver or  when  united  with  sodium  it  forms  chloride  of 
sodium  or  common  table  salt.  If  you  have  a  knowledge 
of  chemistry  you  are  aware  that  there   are   many  other 

81 


22  MODERN    PHOTOGRAPHY 

sensitive  salts  and  chemicals  but  the  principal  ones  which 
the  photographer  has  to  deal  with  are  chloride  and  brom- 
ide of  silver. 

If  you  expose  either  bromide  or  chloride  of  silver  to 
the  action  of  white  light,  it  will  turn  black  in  a  very 
short  time.  A  plate  is  made  by  coating  the  piece  of  glass 
with  a  thin  film  of  gelatin,  in  which  the  bromide  of  silver 
is  carried.  Bromide  of  silver  is  preferred  for  plates  be- 
cause of  its  extremely  rapid  action  when  exposed  to  light. 
The  paper  on  which  the  picture  is  printed  is  like  the 
plate,  sensitive  but  not  to  such  a  degree,  for  it  is  coated 
with  collodion,  gelatin  or  albumen,  in  which  chloride  of 
silver  is  carried.  Bromide  paper  differs  from  the 
ordinary  printing  papers  in  rapidity  of  action,  because 
it  is  coated  the  same  as  a  plate  with  bromide  of 
silver. 

Now,  we  know  that  our  plate  is  covered  with  a  solu- 
tion carrying  in  it  bromide  of  silver  and  that  when  ex- 
posed for  even  the  fraction  of  a  second,  by  the  opening 
of  the  shutter  in  the  camera,  it  is  sufficient  to  produce  an 
effect  upon  the  sensitive  film  on  the  plate  and  an  image 
is  formed.  If  we  take  the  plate  from  the  plate  holder 
and  examine  it,  we  will  see  no  change  in  it  whatever, 
as  it  requires  a  development  in  order  to  produce  the 
image  formed  thereon.  Now,  the  image  on  the  plate 
is  formed  more  or  less  distinctly,  according  to  the 
length  of  the  exposure  and  the  quality  of  the  light. 
If  the  day  be  a  clear  on*^  and  the    light    strong,  it  is 


IN  THEORY    AND    PRACTICE.  23 

said  to  be  actinic^  that  is,  the  light  possesses  those  rays 
of  the  spectrum  which  are  most  powerful  in  producing 
chemical  changes.  To  the  novice  light  is  light  and  all 
sunlight  is  white  but  to  the  scientist  light  is  made  up  of 
several  colors,  red,  yellow,  orange,  green,  blue;  indigo 
and  violet.  Now  these  various  colors  act  very  differently 
on  the  salts  of  silver  and  so  it  is  that  the  light  does  not 
always  act  the  same,  either  on  the  plate  or  printing  pa- 
per and  is  one  day  rapid  and  another  day  slow.  Blue, 
indigo  and  violet  rays  work  the  most  rapidly,  green  rays 
slower  and  the  red,  yellow  and  orange  rays  are  the  slow- 
est to  affect  the  salts. 

In  relation  to  light  there  are  two  other  points  to  be 
considered,  i.  e.,  the  time  of  day  and  the  season  of  the 
year.  Other  things  being  equal,  the  light  is  the  strong- 
est in  the  middle  of  the  day  and  hence  at  that  time  a 
shorter  exposure  is  required  than  at  any  other  but  much 
depends  on  the  season  of  the  year  and  very  much  de- 
pends on  the  country  we  are  living  in.  The  quality  of 
the  light  in  April,  May,  June,  July,  August  and  Septem- 
berj  is  much  better  than  that  of  the  other  six  months  of 
the  year  and  that  of  a  dry  climate  much  quicker  than  that 
of  a  moist  one.  As  a  rule,  the  light  in  the  country  is  much 
more  actinic  than  that  of  large  cities,  probably  owing  to 
the  fact  that  there  is  less  smoke  in  the  atmosphere.  For 
the  same  reason  the  light  is  much  more  actinic  after 
a  heavy  rainstorm  than  before  it,  as  the  atmosphere 
has  been  cleared  of  floating  particles  of  dust  and  soot  by 


24  MODERN    PHOTOGRAPHY 

the  rain.  It  must  be  borne  in  mind  that  surroundings 
have  a  very  material  effect  upon  light  and  cause  it  to  be 
more  or  less  actinic.  A  view  taken  over  a  body  of 
water,  as  a  lake  or  the  ocean,  will  not  require  more  than 
half  the  length  of  exposure  that  would  be  required  for  a 
view  taken  at  the  same  time  of  an  ordinary  open  land- 
scape, i.  e.,  one  without  trees  in  the  foreground.  This 
is  caused  by  the  reflected  light  from  the  water,  so  that 
we  see  that  reflection,  as  well  as  light,  is  a  factor  in  pho- 
tography. The  same  is  true  of  snow  and  the  amount  of 
snow  on  the  ground,  trees  and  surro'^ndings,  materially 
affect  the  length  of  the  exposure. 

Now,  we  have  learned  two  things,  first  that  red,  yel- 
low and  orange  rays  act  less  quickly  than  blue,  indigo, 
violet  and  green  ones  and  that  reflection  is  a  prime 
factor  in  lighting.  Therefore,  a  little  reasoning  will  tell 
us  that  a  landscape,  in  which  the  prevailing  colors  are 
green,  from  grass  and  trees  and  blue  and  indigo  from 
sky,  will  necessarily  require  a  shorter  exposure  than 
would  be  necessary  if  we  were  taking  a  photograph  of 
a  number  of  red,  yellow  and  orange-colored  flowers.  If 
we  look  directly  at  a  red  brick  house,  a  great  proportion 
of  the  rays  coming  towards  us  are  red  and  if  we  look  at 
a  green  tree  a  large  proportion  of  the  rays  are  green. 
In  just  the  same  way  the  colors  of  the  various  objects 
photographed  are  reflected  back  through  the  lens  and 
on  to  our  plate  and  our  exposure  should  be  varied  ac- 
cording as  the  subject  being  photographed  predominates 


IN    THEORY    AND    PRACTICE.  2$ 

in  color.  Now,  if  we  undertake  to  photograph  a  bouquet 
in  which  there  are  red,  yellow,  orange,  blue,  indigo  and 
violet-colored  flowers  and  green  leaves,  what  will  be  the 
result  and  how  shall  we  time  our  exposure?  Here  we 
have  all  the  spectrum  colors  and  many  shades  of  these 
colors.  We  have  the  colors  to  which  the  silver  salt  is 
most  sensitive  and  we  also  have  those  which  have  the 
least  effect  on  this  salt.  If  we  give  the  proper  exposure 
for  the  red  and  orange  colors,  then  we  will  have  exposed 
our  plate  too  long  for  the  blues  and  indigoes  and  thus  we 
will  have  what  is  known  technically  as  an  "  over  expos- 
ure." On  the  other  hand,  if  we  expose  just  long  enough 
for  the  blues  and  indigoes,  then  the  red  and  orange  will 
be  under  exposed.  There  are  several  remedies  but  they 
are  all  based  on  one  general  principle,  that  of  correcting 
the  color  value  by  reducing  them  all  to  a  common,  or 
uniform  value.  Special  plates  are  made  by  which  the 
various  colors  are  reproduced  in  monochrome  in  their 
correct  values.  These  plates  are  known  under  the  names 
of  the  various  manufacturers,  as  "  Isochromatic,"  "  Or- 
thochromatic,"  "  Erythro,"  etc  The  "  ray  filter,"  or 
"  color  screen,"  is  another  method  of  correcting  color 
values.  The  ray  filter  is  usually  a  cell  composed  of  two 
pieces  of  glass  set  into  a  piece  of  glass  tubing  and  in  this 
cell  is  confined  a  liquid  carrying  picrate  of  ammonium, 
bichromate  of  potash,  or  some  other  chemical  which 
tends  to  correct  the  color  values.  The  ordinary  color 
screen  consists  of  an  orange-yellow  glass,  confined  in  a 


26  MODERN    PHOTOGRAPHY 

suitable  frame  and  through  which  the  hght  passes  before 
reaching  the  plate.  As  a  rule,  the  Isochromatic  and 
Orthochroniatic  plates  are  a  trifle  slower  in  their  action 
than  ordinary  plates  and  where  a  color  screen  or  ray 
fiher  is  used  with  ordinary  plates  the  time  of  exposure 
must  be  lengthened  materially.  The  use  of  these  plates 
and  screens  is  described  in  Chapter  XIV. 

Manufacturers  of  plates  usually  number  them  accord- 
ing to  their  sensitiveness,  although  the  number  on  a  plate 
box  is  not  always  a  guide  to  the  quickness  or  slowness 
of  the  contents.  A  slow  plate  is  usually  numbered  from 
20  to  40,  a  medium  from  45  to  50,  and  yet  the  Seed  27 
plate  is  supposed  to  be  as  fast  a  plate  as  is  made.  This 
number  is  supposed  to  represent  the  sensitometer  value 
but  unfortunately  makers  of  plates  do  not  use  the  same 
sensitometer.  As  a  general  rule  it  will  be  advisable  for 
the  novice  to  start  with  a  slow  plate  for  landscape 
work.  Of  course,  in  photographing  moving  objects  it 
is  necessary  to  use  a  quick  plate  and  a  short  expos- 
ure However,  you  must  be  your  own  judge  and  ex- 
perience will  teach  you  when  to  use  a  slow  and  when 
to  use  a  quick  plate.  There  are  many  good  plates  on 
the  market  and  it  matters  but  little  which  you  may 
select,  but  above  all  things  do  not  constantly  change 
makes  and  grades  of  plates.  Select  a  medium  plate, 
say  a  Seed  26  and  stick  to  it,  at  least  for  the  tirsi 
six  months  or  until  you  know  exactly  what  you  can  do 
and  what  you  cannot  do  with  it.    Then  it  is  time  enough 


IN    THEORY    AND    PRACTICE.  2*J 

to  try  a  slower  or  faster  plate.  Do  not  be  in  a  hurry  to 
change  because  some  friend  tells  you  of  a  "  better 
plate."  The  following  is  a  partial  list  of  the  welL 
known  plates  on  the  market: 

Seed  Plates.  These  are  made  in  sensitometer  23, 
26,  26k,  27  and  Non  Halation. 

Cramer  Plates.  These  are  known  by  name  as  the 
"  Banner,"  "  Crown,"  "  Isochromatic,"  slow,  medium 
and  instantaneous,  "  Non-Halation,"  and  "  Contrast." 

Stanley  Plates.  These  are  made  in  sensitometers 
35  and  50. 

Carbutt  Plates.  These  plates  are  made  in  sensito- 
meter 16,  23  and  27,  in  ordinary  plates.  The  "Eclipse," 
in  27;  "Medium  Orthochromatic "  in  23;  "Junior"  in 
27;  a  slow  plate,  "  B  16"  and  a  "Non-Halation." 

Hammer  Plates.  These  are  known  as "  Slow," 
"Fast,"  "Extra  Fast,"  and  "Aurora"  or  Non -Hala- 
tion. 

Now  that  we  understand  something  of  the  action  of 
light,  of  the  various  colors  which  go  to  make  it  up,  of 
the  construction  of  a  plate  and  its  sensitiveness  to  certain 
colors,  we  will  proceed  to  load  our  plate  holders  and  take 
a  practical  lesson  in  the  field. 

We  have  learned  that  our  plate  is  sensitive  to  white 
light  and  that  therefore  we  cannot  handle  it  in  either 
daylight  or  artificial  light.  We  have  also  learned  that 
it  is  less  sensitive  to  red  than  any  other  color  and  for 


28 


MODERN     PHOTOGRAPHy 


this  reason  this  color  has  been  selected  for  the  glass  of 
dark  room  lamps.  These  lamps  can  now  be  purchased 
from  the  simplest  and  cheapest  for  use  with  a  candle,  to 
the  finest  grades  using  oil  and  electric  light.  The  prices 
vary  from  forty  cents  up  to  three  or  four  dollars,  depend- 
ing on  their  quality  and  finish. 
Fig.  8  illustrates  a  cheap  type  of 
lamp  which  will  answer  very  well 
for  the  novice.  This  lamp  will  be 
found  very  convenient  when  travel- 
ing as  it  folds  up  into  a  very  small 
space.  The  top  and  bottom  can 
be  removed  and  the  sides  fold  in. 
A  ruby -colored  fabric  takes  the 
place  of  the  ruby  glass.  We  will 
not  undertake  to  fit  up  a  dark 
room  until  you  fully  understand 
the  requirements  and  will  there- 
fore choose  a  small  room,  with  say 
one  window,  which  we  can  make  absolutely  light-tight 
by  drawing  down  the  blind  and  tacking  over  it  a  heavy 
shawl  or  some  opaque  oilcloth  or  other  fabric.  Now 
select  a  small  table  and  chair  and  place  your  ruby  lamp 
to  the  left-hand  side  of  the  table  and  your  box  of  plates 
to  the  right.  Close  the  door  of  your  room  and  see 
that  no  light  leaks  in  at  the  top  or  bottom  and  if  it 
does  shut  it  out  by  means  of  some  opaque  fabric. 
Light  the  candle  in  your  lamp  and    close    it.       When 


Fig.  8. 


IN    THEORY    AND    PRACTICE.  29 

all  light  is  shut  out  from  the  room,  you  are  ready  to  pro- 
ceed with  the  loading  of  your  plate  holder.  Turn  over 
your  box  of  plates  and  you  will  see,  by  means  of  the 
ruby  lamp,  that  a  strip  of  paper  has  been  pasted  over 
the  joint  to  exclude  all  light.  Carefully  insert  your 
knife  in  the  joint  and  cut  the  paper  around  the  four 
sides  of  the  box,  when  the  cover  can  be  easily  removed. 
You  will  find  another  box  inside  the  first  one  and  this 
being  opened,  will  reveal  the  plates  to  you.  The  differ- 
ent manufacturers  pack  their  plates  in  different  ways. 
Some  plates  are  done  up  in  black  paper,  six  plates  in  a 
package  and  two  packages  in  a  box,  while  others  put 
the  twelve  plates  together  and  the  box  is  provided  with 
flaps  of  black  paper  which  fold  down  from  all  four  sides 
over  the  plates.  We  notice  that  the  upper  plate  is 
placed  with  the  film  side  dov/n  and  the  next  one  v.'ith  the 
film  side  up.  All  plates  are  packed  with  their  film  sides 
next  to  each  other.  The  film  side  is  the  dull  side  of  the 
plate.  Take  a  plate  from  the  box  and  bring  it  close  up 
to  the  lamp.  One  side  appears  to  be  plain  glass  which 
reflects  the  light  readily,  while  the  other  appears  to  be 
covered  with  a  pinkish  wax  and  is  dull  in  appearance. 
The  dull  side  is  the  film  side  and  the  film  is  not  really 
red  or  pink  as  it  appears  but  is  a  creamy  white  and  ap- 
pears pink  on  account  of  the  red  light  from  your  lamp. 
Hold  this  plate  in  your  left  hand  and  scratch  the  film 
side,  near  the  edge,  with  the  nail  of  the  first  finger  of 
your  right  hand.     Now  reverse  the    plate    and  scratch 


30  MODERN   PHOTOGRAPHY. 

the  Other  side  and  you  will  see  a  marked  difference. 
Close  the  eyes  and  take  another  plate  from  the  box  and 
by  means  of  your  finger  nail  try  and  see  if  you  can  tell 
the  film  from  the  glass  side  of  your  plate.  Prac- 
tice this  several  times  so  that  you  can  feel  quite  sure 
that  you  could  distinguish  the  film  side  without  the  aid 
of  the  ruby  lamp.  It  is  quite  important  that  you  be  able 
to  do  chis,  as  it  may  be  necessary  to  load  your  plate  hold- 
ers in  the  dark  some  time.  The  plates  are  divided 
into  sets  of  two,  film  sides  together  and  each  set  is  sepa- 
rated from  the  next  by  means  of  frames  made  of  card- 
board or  by  strips  on  the  end,  depending  on  the  manu- 
facturers. 

Now  let  us  examine  our  plate  holders.  The  plate 
holder  is  a  shallow  box  having  a  slide  on  each  side  and 
divided  down  the  middle  by  a  partition  of  black  card- 
board so  that  we  can  draw  the  slide  from  one  side  with- 
out exposing  the  plate  on  the  other  side  to  the  light. 
Plate  holders  differ  slightly,  according  to  the  manufact- 
ure of  the  camera  but  in  general  principle  are  all  alike. 
In  some  the  slides  are  made  of  black  rubber,  while  in 
others  they  are  made  of  heavy  board  resembling  leather. 
In  the  latter  style  the  board  is  usually  black  on  one  side 
and  light  on  the  other  and  in  some  styles  the  slides  are 
lettered  on  the  black  side  "  Exposed."  Those  holders 
with  black  rubber  slides  have  a  draw  piece  at  one  end 
made  of  wood  and  on  examination  you  will  see  that  this 
wooden  draw  piece  is  light  on  one   side  and  is  painted 


IN   THEORY    AND    PRACTICE.  $1 

black  on  the  other.  In  other  varities  the  rubber  is  let- 
tered "  Exposed "  on  one  side.  The  object  of  thus 
marking  or  coloring  the  slides  will  appear  later. 

We  will  take  it  for  granted  that  our  outfit  consists  of 
a  Premo,  Sr.,  4x5  camera  and  three  plate  holders,  for 
glass  plates.  As  we  said  before,  this  camera  represents 
a  class  and  is  very  similar  to  many  others  on  the  market 
and  we  select  it  simply  as  a  type  of  popular  camera.  The 
plate  holders  furnished  with  this  camera  have  black  rub- 
ber slides.  We  withdraw  the  slide  and  with  a  camel's 
hair  brush  we  proceed  to  thoroughly  dust,  not  only  the 
holder  but  the  slide.  This  is  very  important  and  should 
be  done  every  time  the  holders  are  loaded.  We  also 
thoroughly  dust  the  plate  before  insertion,  not  only  on 
the  film  but  on  the  glass  side  as  well  but  do  not  overdo 
it  or  you  will  eloctrify  the  plate  and  attract  the  dust  par- 
ticles in  the  atmosphere.*  The  smallest  speck  of  dust 
which  may  rest  on  your  plate  at  the  time  of  exposing  it 
will  act  as  a  shield  for  that  portion  of  the 
plate  and  thus  cut  the  light  off  from  it  and  when 
you  come  to  develop  and  fix  it,  it  will  leave  a  small 
white  hole  in  the  plate.  Now  let  us  examine  the  holder 
and  at  the  bottom  we  will  find  a  small  bar  of  wood. 
Press  on  the  bar  with  your  thumb  nail  and  you  find  it 
recedes  but  again  springs  back  into  position.  To  load 
this  holder,  take  it  in  the  left  hand  and  the  plate  in  the 
right.  Place  the  lower  end  of  the  plate  in  the  groove  in 
the  spring  bar  at  the  bottom,  keeping  the  film  side  of 

♦See  pages  107  and  to8  in  regard  to  the  use  of  the  air  bulb  instead  of  a  brush. 


32 


MODERN    PHOTOGRAPHY. 


plate  out,  as  shown  in  Fig.  9  and  by  pressing  on  the 
spring  bar  with  the  thumb  the  plate  will  fall  into  place. 
Keep  the  holder  tilted  back  so  that    the   plate  will  fall 


Fig.  9- 

into  the  holder.  To  unload,  press  with  the  thumb  on 
the  spring  bar,  as  shown  in  Fig  10,  then  by  tilting  for- 
ward the  holder,  the  plate  will  fall  forward,  the  edge 
resting  against  the  fingers.  The  plate  is  then  held  in 
position  by  the  ends  only.  When  the  plate  is  inserted 
replace  the  slide  with  the  light  side  outward,  or,  if 
marked,  see  that  the  word  "  Exposed  "   is  on  the  inside 


A  Portrait. 


Alfred  Cox,  Chicago. 


IN    THEORY    AND    PRACTICE. 


33 


next  to  the  plate.  Close  your  eyes  and  go  through  the 
process  of  dusting  your  plate  holders  and  plates  and  in- 
serting in  the  holders.     In  this  way  you  become  fami- 


Fig.  10. 

iliar  with  the  operation  and  when  necessary  you  can 
change  your  plates  in  a  dark  closet  without  the  aid  of  a 
ruby  lamp.  When  you  return  the  slide  into  the  holder 
you  will  notice  that  it  has  to  go  into  a  little  slit  in  the 
holder.  This  slit  is  closed  automatically  by  means  of  a 
spring,  so  that  when  the  plate  is  in  the  camera  and  the 
slide  is  withdrawn,  no  light  can  leak  in  upon  the  plate.     In 


34  MODERN    PHOTOGRAPHY 

returning  the  slide  do  not  insert  one  corner  first  but  learn 
to  insert  the  entire  edge  of  the  slide  and  to  rapidly  push 
it  in  to  its  proper  place.  If  you  insert  one  corner  of  the 
slide  you  open  the  slit  and  allow  the  light  to  enter  but  if 
you  insert  the  entire  edge  the  spring  clamps  around  both 
sides  of  the  slide  and  excludes  the  light.  Of  course  it 
makes  no  difference  in  the  dark  room  whether  you  in- 
sert the  the  corner  or  the  entire  edge  of  the 
slide  but  it  does  make  a  great  difference  when  you 
are  in  the  daylight  and  if  you  acquire  a  bad  habit  in  the 
dark  room  you  are  very  liable  to  do  the  same  thing  in 
ihe  daylight  and  thereby  ruin  an  exposure.  The  light 
creeping  in  at  this  small  opening  spreads  over 
the  plate  and  blackens  it  gradually  from  the  open- 
ing inward.  This  blackening  is  technically  known  as 
-  fog." 

Now  it  is  well  to  number  your  plate  holders  from  i  to 
6.  i.  e.,  two  numbers  to  each  holder,  one  on  each  side. 
You  can  do  this  with  pencil  or  pen  and  ink  but  it  will 
look  neater  to  use  a  printed  number,  which  may  be 
gummed  to  the  wood  side  of  the  holder  just  above  the 
rubber  slide.  In  this  way  you  can  keep  track  of  your 
plates,  as  3'ou  expose  them  and  make  corresponding  en- 
tries in  your  "  Exposure  Record."  You  will  perhaps 
see  no  necessity  for  an  exposure  record  but  it  is  really  a 
valuable  if  not  an  indispensable  thing,  if  you  expect  to 
make  good  pictures  and  profit  by  your  own  experience 
These  books  are  for  sale   by  dealers  generally,  or  you 


IN   THEORY    AND    PRACTICE. 


i5 


PLATE. 


•Pt,  !  ^ii^ 


EXPOSED. 


When   I  Stop  I  Tjme 

/0:3o\    f   I  Tc. 


Mo.    I  Day, 


No. 


No. 


Subjec 


"^ao^  S-^^mJ.^  'MuUiTf  t>^S^-S^n 


6l  ^^imJ^iAHZtTt^^iJit-^^^  ^^f'M'K^^- 


PLATE. 

EXPOSED. 

DATE. 

Holder 

General 

No.       1    M^ker. 

When   1  Stop  1   Time 

ir.M  8  \  -^ 

Mo.  1  Day. 

No. 

No. 

^Vova^  (dC£^t<^  rAjJrtryiA.  ^a^<.  c/?A^urui, 


-  <l\(^u/u  j:^r-^c!f  frr  'O  7;a^g^  (f^^&^<a^  ^  u-i,*^ 


jir^(Mu/u£. 


J^r-^'^  frr 


No. 


I    Maker. 


EXPOSED. 


DATE. 


When    I  Stop 


Time      Mo. 
TTTo     \Ciuli 


Day. 


Holder.    General 


No.  No.  , 


RemarU*-.     ,  —/-• 


PLATE. 

EXPOSED. 

DATE.         Holder. 

General 

No.       1    Maker. 

When    1  Stop  1   Time 
Z:oo  \    10,    1    Is^^ 

Mo.  1  Day.         No 

/■l? 

Subie 


fTOOcf  Ut-leAXl 


Roma 


'^^^CP^/fe^ 


PLATE. 

EXPOSED. 

DATE. 

Holder. 

General 

3^.      \m^\- 

When    1  Stop  1   Time 
/ff-oo\jtsL\  V7»»»: 

Mo.  1  Day. 

No. 
/ 

No.^ 

S"^Wt-^        ,     - 

.      /         , 

^^_ 

Kj^sA*^ctujd^tjr^  (H  0%J.  pek,C4AtiZ'o 


"^"^fttiiCA/Vf,  a  Jac^  iQ^vitTU^'i,  yyu^.  J^fMeZ^ 


Fig.  11. 


36  MODERN    PHOTOGRAPHY 

can  purchase  a  small    memorandum   book  and  rule  and 
letter  it  yourself  as  shown  in  Fig.  ii. 

Five  entries  of  this  size  could  be  made  on  each  page 
of  such  a  book  and  these  entries  will  be  found  of  great 
value  when  you  come  to  develop  your  plate  and  for  gen- 
eral reference  at  any  time  when  you  are  about  to  take 
pictures  under  similar  existing  conditions.  It  will  be  noted 
that  in  the  first  column  we  have  written  26  Seed.  This 
shows  the  number  and  maker  of  plate.  The  next  col- 
umn shows  that  it  was  taken  at  10:30  a.  m.,  with  dia- 
phragm or  stop  8  and  the  time  of  exposure  was  ^^^  of  a 
second.  The  data  further  tell  you  that  it  was  the  9th 
of  August  and  plate  holder  was  No.  3.  The  subject 
was  a  yacht  just  entering  the  harbor  and  it  was  conse- 
quently a  sea  and  sky  picture  which,  according  to  our 
lesson  on  light,  we  know  to  require  but  a  very  short  ex- 
posure. The  remarks  tell  us  that  although  the  expos- 
ure  was  a  very  short  one,  the  picture  would  have  been 
improved  if  we  had  given  it  but  half  the  time  or  j^^  of  a 
second.  All  of  these  entries  were  made  in  the  expos- 
ure record  after  the  plate  was  exposed  except  the  "  26 
Seed"  and  the  "3"  under  holder  number.  These 
entries  should  be  made  as  soon  as  the  plates  have  been 
placed  in  the  holders  and  then  we  will  know  just 
what  our  holders  are  loaded  with  in  case  they  shou)d 
be  set  aside  for  a  few  days  or  a  week  before  using. 


CHAPTER  IV. 


Let  us  now  take  a  photograph  together,  in  order  that 
we  may  better  understand  our  camera,  its  attachments, 
our  plates  and  the  value  of  our  records.  For  conven- 
ience sake  we  will  follow  the 
entry  in  our  "  Exposure  Rec- 
ord." We  have  loaded  our 
plate  holders  with  No.  26  Seed 
plates  and  we  are  going  to  take 
a  picture  of  a  yacht  which  is 
just  about  to  enter  the  harbor 
on  a  bright  day,  at  10:30  in 
the  morning.  Our  three  plate 
holders,  holding  six  plates,  are 
all  in  the  back  of  the  camera 
box.  Fig.  12  illustrates  a  tri- 
pod, a  frame  consisting  of 
three  movable  wooden  legs 
held  together  at  the  top  by  a 
cap-piece  which  is  technically 
known  as  the  "head."  There 
are  many  different  styles  of  tripods  on  the  market  and 
it  makes  but  little  difference  which  we  select  so  long  as 
we  secure  one  which  is  convenient,  light  and  strong.  It 
is  important,  however,  that  it  be  rigid  and  not   easily 

97 


Fig   12. 


38 


MODERN  PHOTOGRAPHY 


made  to  tremble  in  case  of  a  strong  wind,  for  with  a 
time  exposure  we  cannot  tolerate  the  slightest  tremble 
on  the  part  of  the  tripod  or   our  picture  will  be  ruined. 

The  tripod  shown  in  Fig. 
12  is  a  two-piece  tripod, 
the  lower  legs  being  made 
to  slide  or  telescope  into 
the  upper,  so  as  to  occupy 
but  little  space  when  not 
in  use.  Other  varieties 
are  made  in  three  pieces 
and  occupy  less  space  still. 
In  the  head  will  be  found 
a  brass  screw  with  milled 
head.  This  screw  goes 
into  the  bottom  of  the 
camera  box  and  the  in- 
strument is  then  held 
rigidly  in  place  as  shown 
in  Fig.  13. 

There  is  a  right  and  a 
wrong  way  to  use  a  tri- 
pod. Always  see  that 
one  of  the  legs  is  directly 
in  front  and  this  will  place  a  leg  on  each  side  of  the 
camera.  If  this  leg  was  at  the  back  you  would  be  con- 
stantly tripping  over  it  while  focusing.  Again,  the  leg 
in  front  acts  as  a  swivel  on    which    to  turn  the  entire 


Fig.  r3. 


IN    THEORY    AND    PRACTICE.  39 

outfit,  and  by  moving  the  front  leg  you  can  raise  and 
lower  the  camera  without  touching  the  other  two.  Our 
lens  is  pointing  toward  the  west  while  the  sun  is  in  the 
south,  so  there  is  no  danger  in  this  quarter.  We  must 
always  aim  to  have  the  sun  anywhere  but  in  front  of  the 
camera,  but  it  must  be  borne  in  mind  that  shade  is  as 
important  as  light  and  that  it  takes  both  to  make  a  pict- 
ure, therefore  it  is  not  advisable  to  have  the  sun  directly 
back  of  us,  for  although  there  will  be  no  danger  of  it 
entering  the  lens  when  in  this  quarter,  yet  the  shadows 
will  be  away  from  us  and  will  not  show  in  the  picture 
but  we  will  get  a  rather  glaring  picture  devoid  of 
interest.  If  we  were  to  expose  a  plate  while  the  camera 
was  pointing  towards  the  sun  we  should  certainly  ruin 
the  plate,  because  the  direct  rays  of  the  sun  would 
enter  through  the  lens  and  strike  the  plate. 

We  now  let  down  the  front  of  the  camera  box,  draw 
out  the  bellows  and  drop  down  the  bulb  as  shown  in  the 
illustration.  We  will  now  open  the  door  which  we  see 
on  the  side  of  the  camera  box  and  take  out  the  three 
plate  holders  and  put  them  in  our  pockets  or  in  our 
carrying  case,  if  we  have  one.  ,  We  allow  the  ground 
glass  in  the  rear  of  the  box  to  snap  up  close  to  the  bel- 
lows by  pushing  the  little  brass  button  which  we  see  on 
the  side.  We  now  open  the  little  door  in  the  rear  of 
the  box  so  we  can  see  the  ground  glass.  We  turn  the 
little  dial  just  above  the  lens  until  the  hand  points  to  T 
and   then  press  the  bulb.     This   opens  the  shutter  as 


40  MODERN    PHOTOGRAPHY 

previously  described.  We  now  place  the  little  hand  just 
under  the  lense  until  it  points  to  8,  which  opens  the  dia- 
phragm to  an  8  stop.  If  we  now  look  at  the  instrument 
from  the  front  it  will  appear  as  shown  at  Fig.  4,  except 
that  the  index  at  the  top  points  to  T  and  the  diaphragm 
points  to  8. 

We  now  spread  our  focusing  cloth,  usually  made  of 
rubber  cloth,  over  the  back  of  the  box,  and  insert  our 
head  under  it  in  order  to  see  what  the  ground  glass 
shows.  With  our  head  still  under  the  focusing  cloth  we 
reach  the  right  hand  around  in  front  of  the  camera  and 
move  the  brass  lever,  previously  described,  which  binds 
the  bellows  in  position.  We  now  move  the  bellows 
backward  and  forward  until  we  get  a  good  sharp  image 
on  the  ground  glass. 

The  water  appears  to  be  running  up  hill,  and  the 
yacht,  water  and  all,  appear  to  be  upside  down.  The 
latter  is  just  what  you  should  expect,  as  all  images  on 
the  ground  glass  are  reversed,  or  upside  down,  but  the 
former  is  caused  by  the  camera  being  out  of  level. 
Proceed  to  level  up  your  camera  by  drawing  in  one  leg 
or  letting  out  the  other  until  the  instrument  stands  per- 
fectly level,  then  you  will  find  that  the  water  is  no 
longer  running  up  hill. 

The  yacht  is  moving  towards  us,  however,  and  it  is 
impossible  to  keep  it  in  focus  for  any  length  of  time,  and 
finally  we  have  to  select  one  which  is  farther  away  and 
try  again.     We  get   all  ready  this  time  without  the  aid 


B&' 


'^oSCacr. 


IN    THEORY    AND    PRACTICE.  4I 

of  the  ground  glass.  We  press  the  bulb  to  close  the 
shutter,  and  place  the  index  above  the  lens  at  -^-^,  leaving 
the  diaphragm  at  8.  We  insert  a  plate  holder  in  the 
back  of  the  camera,  between  the  ground  glass  and  end 
of  the  bellows.  We  pull  the  lever  A,  Fig.  4,  over  tc 
the  left  until  it  reaches  the  point  F,  when  a  click  is 
heard  and  we  know  the  shutter  is  set.  We  now  draw 
the  slide  of  plate  holder,  which  is  number  3,  and  draw 
the  bellows  out  until  the  'pointer  on  the  scale  at  the  side 
points  to  100.  Our  yacht  is  still  some  300  feet  away, 
and  we  watch  it  in  the  view  finder,  keeping  it  in  the 
center  as  nearly  as  possible.  When  it  has  reached  a 
point  about  225  feet  away  we  press  the  bulb  and  it  is 
done.  We  now  carefully  insert  the  slide  in  the  holder, 
being  sure  not  to  allow  the  light  to  leak  in,  by  throwing 
the  focusing  cloth  over  camera  and  inserting  the  slide  as 
directed  and  as  practiced  in  the  dark  room. 

The  view  we  have  taken  is  what  is  technically  known 
as  a  "  snap  shot."  It  was  a  rapid  exposure  at  a  moving 
object.  It  was  impossible  to  focus  it  on  the  ground 
glass  because  it  was  constantly  coming  closer  to  us,  and 
it  was  equally  impossible  to  expose  the  plate  for  any 
length  of  time  for  the  same  reason. 

Before  developing  the  plate  we  will  take  another  pict- 
ure, this  one  an  entirely  different  view,  with  different 
surroundings.  We  will  go  up  the  south  bank  of  the 
river  so  as  to  have  the  sun  at  our  back.  On  the  north 
bank   is    a  dense  grove  of   trees;   the   sun  is    shining 


42  MODERN    PHOTOGRAPHY 

brightly,  and  the  foreground  is  well  lighted.  Away 
back  among  the  trees  it  is  very  dark,  and  this  view  is 
going  to  test  our  lens  for  depth  of  detail  and  rapidity. 
We  set  our  camera  up  again  and  proceed  to  focus  on  the 
ground  glass.  This  we  can  do  very  well,  although  the 
wind  is  beginning  to  blow  strongly,  for  we  can  focus  on 
the  tree  trunks,  which  are  stationary.  We  leave  the 
diaphragm  at  8  stop,  and  proceed  to  move  the  front  of 
the  bellows  backward  and  forward  until  we  get  a  clear, 
sharp  image  on  the  ground  glass.  We  now  bind  the 
bellows  in  this  position  by  means  of  the  lever  in  front, 
and  put  our  plate  holder  in  position  again,  with  plate  4 
towards  the  bellows.  We  close  the  shutter,  adjust  the 
shutter  mechanism,  and  study  the  scene  before  us  for  a 
few  minutes.  It  is  a  dark  subject  for  a  "  snap  shot," 
and  yet  the  water  in  the  foreground  and  the  leaves  on 
the  trees  are  in  motion,  and  if  we  give  it  a  time  exposure 
this  motion  will  certainly  blur  our  picture  and  spoil  it. 
We  therefore  conclude  to  try  a  compromise  and  give  the 
view  a  -^^  second  exposure.  This  exposure  will  be  short 
enough  not  to  show  the  motion  of  the  leaves  and  will  be 
perhaps  long  enough  to  bring  out  the  details  of  the  trees 
in  the  foreground,  at  least.  There  are  no  cut  and 
dried  rules  in  photography  for  exposure.  Everything 
depends  on  the  nature  of  the  view  and  the  kind  of  light. 
There  is  but  one  good  rule  in  regard  to  exposure,  and 
that  is  an  old  one;  it  is  "  expose  for  the  shadows  and 
let  the  lights  take  care  of  themselves,"  and  yet  in  this 


IN    THEORY    AND    PRACTICB.  43 

instance  it  is  not  practical,  tor  if  we  expose  for  the  shad- 
ows our  foreground  will  show  motion  perceptibly. 
"  Then  all  exposures  are  simply  guess-work,"  you  will 
say.  Yes,  all  are  guess-work  in  a  certain  sense  but 
guess-work  based  on  experience.  This  experience  you 
will  gain  as  you  go  along  and  if  you  keep  a  record  book 
you  can  refer  back  to  similar  subjects  and  conditions  and 
note  your  successes  or  failures.  Now  how  do  you  know 
that  you  have  not  made  both  exposures  on  the  same  plate 
and  ruined  both?  Because,  first,  you  have  replaced  our 
plate  holder  slide  with  the  dark  side  out,  which  tells  you 
that  this  plate  has  already  been  exposed  and  second,  be- 
cause you  keep  a  record  and  your  record  book  shows 
that  the  plate  in  holder  3  was  exposed  on  the  yacht 
scene  and  the  plate  in  holder  4  was  exposed  on  the  wood 
scene.  Always  fill  out  the  entry  in  your  record  book  as 
soon  as  the  exposure  is  made.  Never  put  it  off  and  rely 
OD  your  memory  to  fill  it  in  at  another  time. 


CHAPTER    V. 

We  have  now  made  two  exposures,  or  taken  two 
pictures,  one  of  a  yacht  and  the  other  a  wood  scene  with 
water  for  a  foreground.  It  will  not  do  to  keep  on  reck- 
lessly exposing  plates  without  knowing  what  we  are 
doing,  so  we  think  it  advisable  to  develop  these  two 
before  going  further. 

Up  to  the  present  time  we  have  no  dark  room,  and 
we  do  not  think  it  advisable  to  build  one  until  we  know 
better  what  is  required,  and  so  we  will  develop  these  two 
plates  in  the  same  room  in  which  we  loaded  our  plate 
holders,  taking  the  same  precautions  about  shutting  out 
all  light.  Of  the  various  developers  and  their  action  we 
will  speak  later,  but  in  this  instance  we  will  use  the 
developer  recommended  by  the  Seed  Dry  Plate  Com- 
pany, who  made  the  plate  which  we  are  about  to 
develop.  The  second  plate  was  made  by  the  Stanley 
Dry  Plate  Company,  and  it  would  hardly  be  advisable 
to  mix  up  two  different  developers  to  develop  only  two 
plates,  because  the  same  developer  will  answer  for  both 
plates.  As  a  rule,  however,  it  will  be  found  advisable 
to  use  the  developer  recommended  by  the  plate  makers. 
They  know  the  chemical  constituents  of  their  plates  and 
are  better  able  to  judge  which  is  the  best  developer  for 
their  own  plates 


In  theory  and  practice. 


45 


We  shall  need  the  following  trays  and  adjuncts,  and 
they  will  all  be  transferred  to  our  dark  room  when 
we  build  it:  Two  45^x55^  developing  trays;  one  7x9 
rinsing   tray;  one   fixing  bath;    one   combined  washing 

and  drying  rack;  one 
2-inch  camel's  hair 
brush;  one  minim 
graduate  glass;  one 
four-ounce  glass 
graduate  and  bottles 
^^^'  '^'  for  your  stock  solu- 

tions of  developer  and  other  chemicals.  You  will  also 
require  a  pair  of  scales,  a  glass  funnel,  two  glass  rods, 
and  some  filter  paper. 

Fig.  14  illustrates  a  developing  tray, 
made  of  hard  rubber,  fibre,  cellu- 
loid, papier  mache  and  tin.  We 
should  advise  the  selection  of  hard 
rubber  or  compressed  fibre  trays 
for  developing,  while  a  papier  mache 
or  tin  tray  will  do  very  well  at  the 
start  for  rinsing  purposes.  For 
the  present  the  fixing  might  be 
done  in  a  tray  or  shallow  dish,  but 
as  you  will  want  a  regular  fixing 
box  sooner  or  later  you  might  just 
as  well  purchase  it  at  the  start.  A  very  good  form  of 
box  is  shown  in  Fig.    15,  as  in    using    it    your    fingers 


These  tra3^s  are 


46 


MODERN  PHOTOGRAPHY 


Fig.  lb. 


need  not  come  in  contact  with  the  solution,  either  in 
putting  the  plates  in  or  taking  them  out  of  the  bath..  A 
false  bottom  is  connected  to  a  central  rod  and  the  plates 
can  be  lifted  out  clear  of  the  solution.  In  selecting  trays, 
never  get  one  with  a  plain  or 
smooth  bottom,  but  select  the 
variety  which  has  grooves  or 
projections  on  the  bottom.  The 
plate  adheres  to  the  bottom  of 
a  smooth  tray  and  is  often  very  hard  to  lift  out.  The 
grooves  or  projections  on  the  bottom  allow  you  to  place 
your  finger  or  the  lifter  under  the  plate.  Fig.  i6  illus- 
trates a  lifter,  which  is 
made  of  hard  rubber  and 
which  will  be  found  very 
useful  for  lifting  plates 
out  of  the  trays.  They 
are  quite  inexpensive  and 
every  photographer  can 
afford  to  have  two  or 
three  of  them,  so  they  will 
be  handy  when  wanted. 
Fig.  17  illustrates  a 
combined  washing  and 
drying  rack.  The  plates  are  first  washed  in  this  rack 
and  then  taken  from  the  water  and  laid  aside  to  dry. 
The  tray  at  the  bottom  being  water  tight,  catches  the 
drippings  from  the  drying  plates,  which  is  a  very  desir- 


Fis-  n. 


IN   THEORY    AND    PRACTICE. 


47 


Fig.  IS. 


able  feature.  When  the  plates  are  dried  and  removed, 
the  sides  can  be  folded  down  into  the  tray  and  it  occupies 
but  little  space.  Fig.  i8  illustrates  a  four  ounce  glass, 
graduate,  which  you  will  need  when 
measuring  the  larger  quantities  of 
liquids,  while  the  minim  or  smallei 
graduate  is  used  for  measuring  the 
smaller  quantity.  In  selecting  a 
funnel  be  sure  and  buy  one  of  glass, 
of  the  fluted  variety,  as  shown  in 
Fig.  19.  A  glass  funnel  can  be 
kept  perfectly  clean  and  the  fluted 
variety  works  much  more  rapidly 
than  the  ordinary  funnels  when  filt- 
ering, as  the  fluted  portions  allow  the  air  to  circulate 
between  the  funnel  and  the  filter  paper. 

Having  now  secured  the  requisite  chemicals  for  devel- 
oper and  fixing  bath,  as  given  by  the  plate  maker,  we 
are  read}'^  for  development.  Our  developing  solution  is 
ready  in  our  four  ounce  graduate,  water  in 
the  rinsing  tray  and  hypo  in  our  fixing  bath. 
We  shall  also  require  a  pail  full  of  clean  water 
and  a  towel  on  which  to  dry  our  hands.  All 
being  in  readiness  we  shall  proceed  with  our 
development.  We  draw  the  rubber  slide  from 
our  plate  holder  and  remove  the  plate  as  heretofore  des- 
cribed. With  the  camel's  hair  brush  we  remove  any 
particles    of  dust  that  possibly  may  have  rested  on  the 


Fig.  iq. 


48 


MODERN    PHOTOGRAPHY 


plate  since  it  was  taken.  We  now  place  the  plate  in 
one  of  the  4^x5)^  trays  with  the  film  or  sensitive 
side  up  and  pour  the  developer  over  it,  gently  rocking 
the  tray  in  the  meantime  to  insure  that  the  solution 
covers  the  plate  entirely.  Keep  your  tray  constantly 
rocking  and  look  out  for  air  bubbles  on  the  plate,  par- 
ticularly in  warm  weather.  Should  there  be  any,  break 
them  by  means  of  the  finger  tips  or  a  camel's  hair  brush. 
If  you  allow  them  to  remain  they  will  prevent  the 
developer  reaching  that  portion  of  the  plate  and  a  flaw 
will  be  the  result. 

When  the  plate  was  placed  in  the  tray  there  was  no 
trace  of  an  image  upon  it,  but  very  soon,  if  it  is  a  prop- 
erly timed  negative,  you  will  observe  that  the  negative 
darkens  in  spots.  Do  not  bring  the  tray  too  close  to  the 
light,  especially  during  the  early  stages  of  development. 
Our  negative  consists  almost  entirely  of  sky  and  water 
and  it  should  come  up  very  evenly  all  over.  If  it  were  a 
landscape  the  sky  would  darken  first.  In  other  words, 
the  light  portions  of  the  picture  darken  first  and  then  the 
half-tones  and  finally  the  dark  portions  or  shadows  are 
darkened. 

The  Seed  Dry  Plate  Co.,  recommend  the  following 
Pyro  developer : 


No.  I. 
Distilled  or  good  well  water. .. i6  ozs. 
Sulphite  of  soda  (Crystals)..      4  ozs. 

Fyrogallic  acid i  oz. 

Sulphuric  acid  lodrops. 


No.  2. 

Water 16  ozs. 

Sal  soda  (crystals) 4  ozs 


IN    THEORY    AND    PRACTICE.  49 

To  develop  with  this  solution  take  one  ounce  of  No.  i 
and  one  ounce  of  No.  2,  and  add  to  it  eight  ounces  of 
water.  Use  less  water  in  cold  weather.  Now  the  con- 
stituents of  the  developer  are  pyrogallic  acid,  commonly 
known  as  Pyro,  which  is  the  developmg  agent  proper, 
sulphite  of  soda,  which  is  a  preservative  and  is  used  to 
keep  the  solution  clear  and  bright,  and  sal  soda,  which 
is  an  accelerator,  or  agent  which  makes  the  developer 
act  quickly.  Make  a  solution  of  one  ounce  of  bromide 
of  potassium  in  ten  ounces  of  water  and  keep  it  in  a 
separate  bottle,  and  when  it  is  found  that  the  developer 
is  working  too  rapidly,  owing  to  the  plate  being  over- 
exposed, a  few  drops  of  this  solution  is  added,  which 
holds  back  development  and  is  known  as  a  restrainer. 
This  is  known  as  a  ten  per  cent  solution  of  bromide. 
We  now  know  the  constituents  of  our  developer  and  how 
the  various  chemicals  act,  and  we  can  govern  ourselves 
accordingly. 

We  have  now  reached  a  critical  stage  in  our  develop^ 
ment.  How  long,  or  how  far  shall  we  carry  our  devel- 
opment? On  this  depends  entirely  the  success  of  our 
picture.  If  we  develop  too  rapidly  the  half-tones  are 
lost  and  if  we  carry  the  development  too  long  we  will 
get  a  flat,  muddy  negative  which  has  no  contrasts.  Var- 
ious methods  are  pursued  by  photographers,  both  ama- 
teur and  professional.  Our  method  is  to  keep  the  plate 
in  the  solution  until  the  image  has  shown  fairly  strong 
all  over.     Now  remove  the  plate   from   the  solution,  by 


50  MODERN    PHOTOGRAPHY 

means  of  the  lifter  shown  in  Fig.  i6,  and  holding  it  by 
the  edge,  bring  it  close  up  to  the  light  and  look  through 
it  in  order  to  see  how  far  the  development  has  progressed 
in  the  shadows  and  half-tones.  Keep  your  fingers  off 
the  film  and  hold  the  plate  by  its  edges  by  pressing 
against  the  glass  on  both  sides.  If  a  4  x  5  plate  you  can 
readily  hold  it  in  one  hand  by  placing  the  thumb  on  one 
side  and  the  forefinger  on  the  other.  Bear  in  mind  that 
all  portions  of  the  negative  which  have  received  the 
black  deposit  will  print  white  or  light  in  tone,  while  those 
portions  of  the  plate  which  remain  white  will  in  reality 
print  black,  because  the  light  passes  through  the  clear 
glass  of  the  negative  and  prints  the  paper  dark.  Now 
turn  the  plate  over  or  look  at  the  other  side,  not  through 
the  plate,  but  by  holding  it  in  a  horizontal  position,  and 
see  if  the  image  is  beginning  to  show  through  the  plate. 
If  it  is,  the  development  is  nearing  completion.  Return 
the  plate  to  the  solution  and  continue  rocking,  examin- 
ing it  from  time  to  time.  In  a  properly  timed  negative 
the  image  should  begin  to  appear  on  the  film  side  in 
from  15  to  30  seconds.  There  is  a  scientific  method  of 
determining  when  the  development  has  reached  the 
finished  stage,  but  this  method  we  will  discuss  later. 

We  continue  the  rocking  of  the  plate  until,  in  the  sub- 
dued light  of  the  dark  room  the  entire  plate  has  black- 
ened over.  Examine  it  again  by  transmitted  light  and 
you  will  see  the  outline  very  faintly.  Look  at  the  back 
of  the  plate  and  you  will  see  the  outlines  of  highlights 


IN    THEORY    AND    PRACTICE.  5I 

and  the  principal  half-tones.  Holding  the  film  sidt 
towards  us  and  the  glass  side  well  up  to  the  ruby  glass, 
we  place  our  finger  on  the  glass  back  of  the  sky  and 
find  the  deposit  is  so  dense  we  can  scarcely  see  the 
shadow  of  our  finger. 

We  now  rinse  the  plate  thoroughly  in  the  rinsing  tray, 
in  order  to  remove  the  developer  and  small  portions  of 
the  film  which  have  separated  from  the  plate.  This 
rinsing  prevents  the  contamination  of  the  fixing  bath. 
Our  fixing  bath,  which  has  previously  been  prepared,  is 
also  in  accordance  with  the  Seed  formula,  which  comes 
with  every  box  of  plates.  Our  plate,  after  washing,  is 
inserted  in  the  fixing  box,  shown  in  Fig.  15.  The  ama- 
teur at  this  stage  usually  makes  two  mistakes,  he  does 
not  fix  his  plates  thoroughly  and  more  often  does  not 
wash  them  sufficiently  to  remove  the  hypo.  The 
plate  should  be  allowed  to  remain  in  the  fixing  bath  fully 
ten  minutes  after  every  trace  of  the  white  film  has  been 
removed  and  must  only  be  examined  by  white  light  when 
this  stage  has  arrived. 

When  properly  fixed  the  plate  is  inserted  in  the  com- 
bined washing  and  drying  rack  shown  in  Fig.  17,  and 
the  rack  placed  in  the  pail  of  water.  The  pail  may  now 
be  taken  out  of  the  room  and  placed  in  a  sink  and  the 
water  allowed  to  run  into  the  pail  for  at  least  one  hour, 
in  a  gentle  stream  about  the  size  of  an  ordinary  lead 
pencil.  Do  not  allow  the  stream  to  strike  the  plate,  but 
have  it  go  down  one  side  of  the  pail.    It  is  very  essential 


52  MODERN    PHOTOGRAPHY 

to  thoroughly  wash  your  plates  to  remove  the  hypo  or 
they  will  soon  turn  yellow  and  become  covered  with  the 
hypo  salts  which  will  eat  away  the  film.  When  suffi- 
ciently washed  remove  the  rack  from  the  pail,  emptying 
out  the  water  in  the  tray  under  the  plate  and  put  it  away 
to  dry  in  a  place  free  from  dust.  Do  not  attempt  to  dry 
the  plate  in  the  sun  or  by  artificial  heat. 

While  the  first  plate  is  being  fixed  in  the  hypo  bath, 
we  proceed  with  the  development  of  the  second  plate, 
which  we  proceed  with  on  the  same  lines  as  the  first. 


CHAPTni^  VI. 

The  dark  room  question  is  a  serious  one  and  you 
should  not  be  in  a  hurry  about  building  one  until  you 
have  a  pretty  thorough  understanding  of  the  require- 
ments of  the  art.  We  never  knew  an  amateur  whose 
first  dark  room  suited  him  perfectly.  He  generally 
enlarges  it  and  makes  extensive  alterations  within  a  year 
or  two  after  building.  Give  the  question  a  little  serious 
thought  and  it  may  save  you  considerable  time  in  rear- 
ranging and  rebuilding,  to  say  nothing  of  the  expense 
involved.  The  location  is  the  first  consideration,  and  in 
choosing  this,  much  depends  upon  whether  you  occupy 
your  own  house  or  rent  one  and  the  style  of  the  house 
itself.  Stables  and  outbuildings  are  as  a  rule  not  desira- 
ble for  the  location  of  dark  rooms  because  they  are  gen- 
erally not  heated  in  the  winter,  and  great  care  must  be 
exercised  to  select  a  location  where  your  liquid  chemi- 
cals will  not  be  liable  to  freeze  and  burst  the  bottles  in 
which  they  are  confined.  Again,  it  is  pretty  cold  work 
developing  and  washing  plates  where  there  is  no  heat 
and  the  thermometer  is  ten  below  zero. 

If  your  house  has  a  basement,  say  seven  or  eight  feet 
in  height,  with  a  furnace,  this  will  be  the  place  for  your 
dark  room.  It  will  be  generally  be  found  quite  cool, 
even  in  the  very  warm  days  of  summer  and  warm  enough 

53 


54  MODERN    PHOTOGRAPHY 

for  comfort  in  the  coldest  days  of  winter.  If  it  has  no 
furnace  your  Hquids  are  Hable  to  freeze,  but  much 
depends  on  the  construction  of  the  house  and  its  found- 
ation. If  it  is  safe  as  regards  freezing,  then  it  can  be 
heated  to  a  comfortable  degree  for  working  by  means  of 
an  oil  or  gas  stove  prior  to  the  time  you  wish  to  do  your 
developing.  Next  to  a  basement  a  small  room  or  good 
sized  closet  is  desirable. 

If  a  basement  or  small  room  is  selected  and  a  window 
can  be  used,  so  much  the  better,  for  it  is  desirable  to  air 
the  dark  room  from  time  to  time,  particularly  if  you  are 
a  smoker,  or  if  you  use  oil  in  your  dark  room  lamp, 
or  both.  If  a  window  is  used  it  should  be  carefully 
covered  with  at  least  two  thicknesses  of  post  office 
paper,  ruby  fabric  (a  substitute  for  ruby  glass),  or 
black  paper.  The  casings  of  the  window  should  be 
examined  carefully  after  this  and  all  cracks  covered  by 
pasting  over  them  heavy  red  express  or  black  paper. 
The  window  should  not  be  relied  upon  for  light  even 
when  working  in  the  day  time  and  it  would,  of  course, 
be  out  of  the  question  at  night. 

When  you  have  selected  a  location  it  will  be  well  to 
take  a  piece  of  paper  and  lay  out  a  ground  plan  of  your 
proposed  dark  room  before  starting  to  build.  Fig.  20  is 
a  ground  plan  and  Fig.  21a  sketch  of  a  dark  room.  It 
is  an  actual  reproduction  of  a  dark  room  built  by  an 
amateur  friend,  with  some  minor  changes.  This  dark 
room  is  the  best  fitted  and  the  handiest  we  have  ever 


IN    THEORY    AND    PRACTICE. 


55 


seen,  either  amateur  or  professional,  and  is  an  excellent 
one  to  model  after.     The    floor  of  the   dark  room   is 

Lam|3 


Wafer 

^ 

o 

5inK 

(Sink 

^helf  om  sink  not  fihown  m  this 

tj                    Diapra-rri. 

o 

"^    ST 

-1 

4° 

■v> 

C 

o 

•?. 

^ 

>o 

( 6fccf 

Tabic                                     I 

0 

Two  iShelvcs over  Hie  l^ble 

.    VI 

Fi^-.  20. 


three  inches  above  the  basement  floor  so  that  it  is 
dry  at  all  times,  as  the  air  circulates  freely  under  it. 
It  IS  practically  six  feet  square.     The  door  extends  to 


56 


MODERN  PHOTOGRAPHY 


the  basement  floor,  so  there  is  no  necessity  of  tackinjj 
felt  to  the  bottom  of  it  to  keep  out  white  hght. 

The  smk,  including  the  two  ends,  is  about  four  feet  in 
length.     The  water  pipe  and  the  drain  pipe  enter  the 


Fig.  SI. 


sink  at  the  left  hand  end  and  at  the  right  is  a  convenient 
platform  on  which  to  place  plates  to  dry,  etc.  This  sink 
is  about  five  inches  deep  and  is  built  of  one-inch  pine 
stock.  After  connecting  up  the  plumbing  the  sink  was 
given  one  good  coat  of  white  lead,  the  cracks  being  first 


IN    THEORY    AND    PRACTICE.  57 

filled  in  with  the  stiff  white  lead  by  means  of  a  putty 
knife.  When  this  coat  was  thoroujj^hly  dry  it  was  given 
three  coats  of  asphaltum  mixed  to  the  consistency  of 
paint  with  benzine.  The  coats  of  asphaltum  were  given 
at  intervals  of  twenty -four  hours,  so  that  one  coat  was 
.horoughly  dry  before  the  next  was  applied.  The  slats 
in  the  center  rest  on  the  top  of  the  sink  and  are  joined 
together,  and  they  can  be  readily  removed  when  desired. 
The  developing  tray  is  used  on  this  rack  and  any  devel- 
oper which  is  spilled,  does  not  run  onto  the  floor  but  runs 
down  into  the  sink. 

It  will  be  noted  that  this  dark  room  is  lighted  from 
the  outside,  which  is  really  the  only  good  way,  if  you 
value  your  health  and  desire  to  keep  the  dark  room 
cool  in  summer.  There  are  cases  in  which  it  is  not 
possible  to  so  light  a  dark  room,  but  where  possible 
it  is  always  advisable.  In  this  instance  a  window  six 
inches  square  is  cut  through  the  partition  directly 
over  the  center  of  the  sink.  A  ruby  and  an  orange 
colored  glass  are  mounted  in  frames  and  these  frames 
run  in  wooden  tracks  and  pass  one  another  so  that 
either  or  both  glasses  can  be  used.  The  ruby  glass 
runs  in  the  track  nearest  to  the  light.  The  light  is 
an  ordinary  kerosene  lamp  placed  on  a  bracket  just 
outside  of  this  window.  Gas,  of  course,  could  be  used 
as  well  as  a  lamp.  Immediately  under  the  platform  at 
the  right  hand  side  of  the  sink  is  a  series  of  six  drawers 
which   are   convenient    for    storing   away   the   various 


58  MODERN    PHOTOGRAPHY 

devises  and  odds  and  ends  which  the  pholographer 
is  bound  to  fall  heir  to  and  which  accumulate  so 
rapidly. 

ImmediLitely  above  the  sink  is  a  shelf  four  feet  long, 
on  which  is  kept  the  bottles  holding  the  developer,  and 
those  solutions  which  are  most  frequently  used,  the 
graduates,  funnels,  and  the  bromide  solution.  Beneath 
the  shelf  the  dusting  brush,  scissors,  print  roller,  vig- 
netter,  kits  etc  can  be  kept  on  suitable  hooks  or  nails. 
To  the  right  is  a  towel  and  rack.  Next  to  the  bottles 
on  the  shelf  is  a  rack  built  for  trays,  so  they  can  be 
placed  on  their  sides  to  dry.  This  shelf  can  also  be  used 
for  holding  plate  boxes,  etc.  The  book  shown  in  the 
illustration,  on  the  shelf,  next  to  the  plate  rack,  is  the 
scrap  book,  which  will  be  described  later  on.  Beneath 
the  sink  is  a  good  place  to  keep  your  hypo  bath,  and 
this  is  the  very  best  place  to  keep  it,  as  you  are  sure  not 
to  get  it  mixed  with  the  other  chemicals. 

By  consulting  Fig.  20  you  will  get  a  good  idea  of  the 
other  side  and  end  of  the  room.  Facing  the  sink  is  a 
wide  shelf  or  table,  about  two  and  a  half  feet  from  the 
floor,  where  you  can  sit  down  and  dust  out  your  plate 
holders  and  load  your  plates,  with  your  back  to  the  light. 
Above  this  table  are  two  shelves  for  the  storage  of  bot- 
tles, boxes,  etc.,  and  at  the  end  of  the  room  opposite  the 
door  are  two  more  shelves  one  over  the  other.  You 
will  perhaps  think  there  is  a  superfluous  amount  of  shelf 
room,  ^ut  you  will  find  by  the    time  you  have   had  the 


IN   THEORY    AND    PRACTICE. 


59 


dark  room  say  two  or  three  years  that  you  will  have  to 
clean  house  every  once  in  a  while  to  make  room  to 
move  around. 

One  very  necessary  thing,  which  must  not  be  omitted 
under  any  consideration,  is  a  hook  for  the  inside  of  the 
dark  room  door.  This  will  effectually  keep  out  all 
intruders  while  you  are  developing.  Ventillation  must 
be  secured,  and  this  can  be  easily  effected  by  boring  a 
series  of  inch  holes  at  the  top  of  the  room  over  the  sink 
and  another  series  next  the  floor  on  the 
opposite  side.  Over  the  series  of  holes  tack 
some  strips  of  wire  screen  to  keep  out  rats, 
spiders,  and  other  vermin.  Over  the  series 
of  holes  tack  a  long  strip  of  tin  bent  in  the 
from  of  an  inverted  L,  as  shown  in  Fig.  22. 
Light  refuses  to  turn  a  corner,  without  the 
aid  of  prisms  or  reflection,  and  if  we  paint 
the  inside  of  this  tin  black  we  need  have  no 
fear  of  white  light  entering  the  room.  In 
Fig.  22,  W  is  the  wooden  wall  of  the  dark 
room;  H  the  holes;  T  the  tin  strip  and  S  the  screws  or 
tacks  holding  the  tin  in  place.  The  faucet  shown  in 
Fig.  21  is  preferable  to  the  ordinary  one,  as  it  elevates 
the  stream,  and  in  the  case  of  washing  off  a  plate 
there  is  little  danger  of  the  film  side  coming  in  contact 
with  the  faucet.  A  light  rubber  hose  can  be  connected 
with  it  and  the  washing  box,  which  is  illustrated  in 
^'&-  23.     This  box   is    an    excellent    one  as  the  water 


W 


Yl 


H 


Fig.  22. 


6o 


MODERN  PHOTOGRAPHY 


enters  from  the  tube  at  the  top  and  this  tube  extends  to 
the  bottom  of  the  box,  where  the  water  is  discharged. 
The  water  rises  between  the  plates  and  is  carried   off 

at  the  outlet  at  the  top 
and  to  the  right  hand 
side.  As  the  box  has 
corrugations  on  all  sides, 
it  is  adapted  to  hold 
several  sizes  of  plates. 
Running  water  is  a 
great  convenience,  but 
not  an  absolute  necess- 
ity in  the  dark  room. 
If  your  dark  room  is 
situated  at  consider- 
able distance  from  the 
water  supply,  or  you  do 
not  feel  that  you  can 
afford  the  expense  of 
putting  in  the  necessary 
plumbing  you  can  make 
a  good  substitute  by  means  of  an  old  water  cooler,  or  by 
building  a  box  and  coating  the  inside  of  it  thoroughly  as 
advised  for  the  sink.  The  cooler  or  box  can  be  located 
on  the  end  of  the  sink  where  the  faucet  is  in  Fig.  21. 
If  a  cooler  is  used  the  rubber  tubing  can  be  used  the 
same  as  on  a  regular  hydrant.  If  a  box  is  used  a  faucet 
of  some  kind  will  have  to  be  inserted  in  the  side  of  the 


I-isr-  23- 


IN    THEORY    AND    PRACTICE. 


6l 


box  near  the  bottom.  If  a  box  is  used,  a  cover  that  fits 
fairly  tight,  should  be  made  for  it,  to  keep  out  all  dust. 
A  short  piece  of  waste  pipe  can  be  used  and  the  waste 
water  caught  in  a  bucket. 

Should  it  be  inconvenient   or   out   of  the  question  to 
have  the  light  outside  of  the  dark  room  then  a  first-class 


Fig.  24. 


Fig.  2S- 


dark  room  lantern  is  a  necessity.  Nothing  gives  the 
amateur  quite  as  much  trouble  as  the  cheap  dark  room 
lanterns  on  the  market.  The  light  often  goes  out  at  a 
critical  stage,  and  the  smoke  and  smell  is  something 
dreadful.  If  you  cannot  afford  to  buy  a  first-class  lant- 
ern, then  we  should  advise  you  to  make  one  from  a  soap 
or  starch  box  rather  than  invest  your  money  in  one 
which    will    never  give  you   any  satisfaction.     Fig.   24 


62 


MODERN    PHOTOGRAPHY 


illustrates  an  excellent  form  of  lantern  manufactured  by 
John  Carbutt. 

In  Fig.  24  this  lantern  is  shown  with  the  side  door 
open  as  used  in  making  bromide  prints,  while  Fig.  25 
shows  the  same  lantern  as  used  in  developing,  and  also 
with  the  slide  door  open  while  examining  fixed  negatives 

by  the  ground  glass.  Do  not 
make  the  mistake  of  buying  a 
small  dark  room  lantern.  You 
may  have  little  room  to  spare 
in  your  dark  room,  and  the 
small  patterns  may  look  very 
neat  and  tempting  on  the  pho- 
tographic supply  counter,  but 
in  practice  they  are  an  abomin- 
ation. A  lantern  which  is  large 
enough  to  give  a  thorough 
draft  and  have  plenty  of  air 
space  for  the  lamp,  is  the  only 
one  which  will  not  smoke.  If 
your  purse  will  not  admit  of 
your  purchasing  a  first-class  lantern  then,  as  we  said 
before,  you  had  better  make  one.  Fig.  26  shows  a 
diagram  of  a  home  made  lantern.  This  lantern  can  be 
made  from  a  small  box,  say  14  inches  high  by  8  or  10 
wide.  We  believe  that  the  diagram  is  so  explicit  that 
a  detailed  description  will  hardly  be  necessary,  but  in 
order   that  it    may  be  thoroughly  understood  we   have 


Fig.  26. 


IN    THEORY    AND    PRACTICE.  63 

lettered  the  diagram.  A,  B  and  C  are  all  made  of 
wood,  D  is  a  window  glazed  with  both  ruby  and  orange 
glass,  one  back  of  the  other,  which  makes  a  very  safe 
light.  Each  glass  is  held  in  a  separate  groove  so  that 
either  one  or  both  can  be  removed  at  pleasure.  C  is  a 
hinged  cover;  E  is  the  button  for  regulating  the  flame 
from  the  outside  of  the  lamp,  and  F  is  a  small  pipe 
which  should  lead  outside  of  the  dark  room  and  into  a 
chimney  flue  if  possible,  and  all  heat  and  smoke  are  thus 
carried  entirely  outside  of  the  dark  room.  This  pipe 
can  be  made  from  a  piece  of  ordinary  speaking  tube, 
which  can  be  purchased  very  cheaply.  You  can  work 
with  a  lamp  constructed  on  these  lines  for  hours  without 
fatiguing  the  eyes,  as  the  light  is  all  thrown  downward 
upon  the  tray  in  which  you  are  developing. 

Tray  covers  are  a  great  convenience  in  a  dark  room. 
They  can  be  easily  made  from  pieces  of  cigar  boxes  or 
other  light  wood.  Their  use  is  to  cover  the  trays  in  the 
event  that  it  is  necessary  to  open  or  regulate  the  dark 
room  lantern,  and  are  constructed  similar  to  the  illustration 
shown  in  Fig.  27.  These  tray  covers  should  be  made 
with  projections  around  the  four  sides  so  that  no  light 
can  creep  in  upon  the  plate.  A  small  knob  should  be 
fastened  to  the  top  for  convenience  in  lifting.  Another 
very  necessary  adjunct  is  a  cover  for  your  drying  rack 
in  order  to  protect  your  plates  from  dust  while  drying. 
A  frame  should  be  made  of  some  lififht  wood  which  is 
high    enough  and  wide   enough    to    cover    your    entire 


64 


MODERN  PHOTOGRAPHY 


Ftg.  27. 


drying  rack,  as  shown  in  Fig.  28,  and  this  frame  should 
be  covered  with  cheese  cloth.  You  can  then  place 
your  plates  in  the  direct  draft  without  fear  of  them 
becoming  covered  with  dust  while  drying.     This  cover 

can  be  easily  constructed  by 
any  ingenious  amateur  and 
he  will  be  well  repaid  for  the 
time  expended  in  its  manu- 
facture. The  cheese  cloth 
covering  catches  all  the  dirt,  lint  and  small  fragments 
which  would  otherwise  stick  to  your  plates.  This  plate 
cover,  when  not  in  use,  should  be  kept  in  a  3quare  paper 
bag  so  that  no  dirt  can 
accumulate  inside  of  it. 
You  will  notice  in  Fig. 
21  that  the  first  three 
bottles  on  the  shelf  are 
numbered  i,  2  and  3. 
These  are  the  devel- 
oper bottles  and  should 
always  be  numbered 
with  large  figures  so 
that  no  mistake  can 
possibly  happen  in  the 
dim  light  of  the  dark  room.  These  numbers  can  be 
painted  on  the  bottles  with  asphaltum,  or  large  figures 
can  be  cut  from  a  calendar  or  elsewhere  and  pasted  on. 
The  formula  of  each  bottle  should  also  be  written  on  a 


Ftg.    2S. 


IN    THEORY    AND    PRACTICE.  65 

piece  of  white  gummed  paper  and  attached  to  the  bottle 
below  the  number.  This  should  be  done  in  the  case  of 
all  stock  solutions,  reducers,  intensifiers,  etc.,  and  will 
be  found  very  convenient  for  reference  in  the  future. 
A  solution  which  is  not  in  constant  use  often  gets  laid  to 
one  side  and  the  formula  and  directions  for  its  use  are 
forgotton,  but  if  labeled  as  suggested,  you  always  know 
the  contents  of  the  bottle,  and  when  necessary  a  new 
solution  can  be  made  up  from  the  accompanying  direc- 
tions. Ordinary  gummed  labels  soon  become  detached 
from  the  glass  bottles,  and  to  prevent  this  give  them  a 
coat  of  varnish,  allowing  the  varnish  to  extend  over  the 
edge  of  the  label  onto  the  glass  of  the  bottle.  As  far  as 
practicable  always  use  bottles  with  ground  glass  stop- 
pers, as  corks  are  not  reliable  with  ordinary  chemicals. 
Ground  glass  stoppers  have  an  aggravating  tendency  to 
stick  in  the  mouth  of  the  bottle,  but  this  tendency  can 
be  readily  overcome  by  applying  a  small  amount  of 
parafine  or  vasaline  to  the  stopper. 

In  the  event  that  your  dark  room  is  located  in  a  base- 
ment, you  will  find  it  wise  not  to  keep  your  stock  of 
plates  and  printing  papers  in  it.  Negative  and  lantern 
slide  plates,  bromide,  silver  and  gelatine  papers  deteri- 
orate very  rapidly  when  kept  in  damp  places.  Plate 
holders  being  usually  of  very  delicate  construction  and 
very  liable  to  warp,  should  never  be  left  in  the  dark  room 
for  any  length  of  time.  Hyposulphite  of  soda  and  other 
chemicals  should  never  be  kept  in  the  dark  room  while 


66  MODERN    PHOTOGRAPHY 

done  up  in  paper  bags  or  packages.  Not  only  do  the 
chemicals  deteriorate  when  in  this  shape,  but  in  a  base- 
ment dark  room,  which  has  a  tendency  to  be  damp 
hyposulphite  of  soda  will  be  carried  in  the  atmosphere 
and  deposited  in  the  form  of  crystals  all  over  the  dark 
room.  Keep  your  chemicals  in  wide-mouthed  bottles 
with  ground  glass  stoppers. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

We  said  there  was  a  scientific  method  of  determin- 
ing just  when  to  stop  development.  This  method  was 
the  result  of  constant  study  and  experiment  on  the  part 
of  an  amateur  photographer,  Mr.  Alfred  Watkins,  of 
England,  the  inventor  of  the  Watkins  Exposure  Meter. 
By  faithfully  following  Mr.  Watkins'  method  you  need 
never  have  an  over  or  under-developed  negative.  This 
method  is  applicable  to  nearly  all  developers  and  should 
you  use  a  developer  which  is  not  in  the  accompanying 
table,  then  you  will  first  have  to  determine  the  factor  by 
experiment.  The  method  consists  in  timing  the  nega- 
tive from  the  moment  the  developer  is  flowed  upon  the 
plate  until  the  first  image  appears  and  multiplying  that 
number  of  seconds  by  a  known  factor  and  the  product 
will  be  the  length  of  time  for  total  development. 

The  factors  which  Mr.  Watkins  has  figured  out  for 
the  various  developers  are  as  follows : 


Kind  of  Developer. 

Pyro  Soda,  i  grain  of  Pyro  to  the  ounce.  . 
Pyro  Soda,  2  grains  of  Pyro  to  the  ounce. 
Pyro  Soda,  3  grains  of  Pyro  to  the  ounce. 
Pyro  Soda,  4  grains  of  Pyro  to  the  ounce. 
Pyro  Soda,  8  grains  of  Pyro  to  the  ounce, 

67 


Fac- 
tor. 

II 
6 
5X 


68  MODERN    PHOTOGRAPHY 


Kind  of  Developer. 


*Carbutt's  Pyro  Developer 

Hydrochinon,  caustic  soda  or  carbonate. 

Eikonogen  

Metol 

Amidol,  2  grains  per  ounce 

Pyro-Metol 

Rodinal 

Metol- Hydrochinon 


Fac- 
tor. 

7 
9 

28 

i8 

9 
4o 

13 


Let  us  see  how  the  factor  works  in  practice.  Sup- 
pose we  are  using  Carbutt's  Pyro  developer  and  the 
image  appears  in  15  seconds.  We  know  the  factor  is  7 
so  we  muhiply  15  by  7. 

15  X  7  =  105  sec.  =  1%  minutes. 
This  will  be  the  total  time  required  to  complete  devel- 
opment on  an  average  plate.  If  the  plate  has  been  a 
trifle  over-exposed  then  the  first  image  will  appear  in  a 
shorter  time  and  development  will  not  be  so  long  and 
if  it  was  a  trifle  under-exposed  then  vice  versa.  The 
factor  remains  the  same  in  all  instances  except  where 
bromide  is  added,  and  in  this  event  the  factor  will  have 
to  be  varied.  If  you  are  using  a  developer  whose 
factor  is  given  in  the  above  table  and  the  result  should 
give  you  a  negative  not  entirely  satisfactory^  to  you,  then 
use  a  hi<;her  or  a  lower  factor  until  the  results  are  satis- 
factory,  and  then  note  down  the  factor  and  work  by  it. 
If  you  do  this,  your  negatives  will  be  very  even  and  will 
all  print  in  about  the  same  time.     Some  people  like  great 

•  This  (actor  was  figured  out  by  Mr.  Carbutt. 


IN    THEORY    AND    PRACTICE.  69 

contrasts  or  blacks  and  whites  in  their  negatives,  while 
others  prefer  a  softer  negative,  and  so  the  factor  may  be 
increased  or  diminished  to  suit  your  individual  taste. 

There  are  a  great  many  developers  used  by  both 
amateur  and  professional  photographers,  but  the  Pyro 
developer  is  probably  the  most  popular  to-day.  The 
following  are  the  principal  developers  used  at  the  pres- 
ent time: 

Seed's  Pyro=Soda  Developer. 


No.  2. 
Water 16  oz. 

Sal  Soda  (Crystals) 4  oz. 


No.  I. 

Distilled  or  good  well  water 16  oz. 

Sulphite  of  Soda  (Crystals) 4  oz. 

Pyrogallic    Acid i  oz. 

Sulphuric   Acid 10  drops. 

To  Develop  Take 

No.  I I  oz.      I       *\Vater 8  oz. 

No.  2 1  oz.      I 

Seed's  Pyro  Developer  by  Hydrometer  Test. 

No.  I.  No. 

Of  a  clear  Sulphite  of  Soda  so-  Sal  Soda  Solution,   Hydrometer   test 

lution  to   test  60  with  hydro-  40. 

meter,  take 18  oz. 

Pyrogallic  .\cid i  oz. 

Sulphuric   Acid 10  drops. 

To  Develop  Take 

No-  I loz.      I       *Wate,r 8  oz 

No. 2 ,ioz.       I 

Remarks.— More  watergives  flatness  and  less   water  contrast.     Useless  water 
in  cold  weather.    Nos.  i  and  2  are  known  as  stock  solutions. 

Stanley's  Pyro-Soda  Developer. 


No.  I. 

Water 80  oz. 

Sulphuric  Acid y^  dram. 

Pyro I  oz.  Troy. 


NOo3. 

Pure  Water 80  oz.  fluid. 

Sulphite  of  Soda  (Crystals). 6  oz.  Troy 
Carbonate  of  Soda  (Cryst.).6  oz.  Troy. 


*For  Double-coated  plates  use   18  ounces  of  water.     If  you  use  Aristo  paper  for 
your  prints  increase  No.  2  to  iH  ozs.  and  the  water  to  10  ozs. 


70 


MODERN  PHOTOGRAPHY 


To  Develop  take  equal  parts  of  No.  i  and  No.  2. 

Stanley's  Pyro  Developer  by  Hydrometer  Test. 

Carbonate  of  Soda,  Hydrometer  test  20° 401 

Sulphite  of  Soda,  Hydrometer  test  20° 40  ( 

Mix  the  two  for  alkaline  solution  and  use  pyro  solution  as  above. 

Hammer's  Pyro  Developer. 

No.  I. 

Pure  Water 27  oz. 

O.xalic  Acid 20gr3. 

Dissolve  and  add  pyrogallic  acid  i  oz. 


No.  a. 

Pure  Water 32  oz. 

Sulphite  Soda  Cryst 8  oz. 

Carbonate  Soda  Cryst 4  oz. 


To  Develop  Take 

No.  I I  oz.      I        Water 

No.  2 1  oz.       I 


-6  oz. 


Hammer's  Pyro  Developer  by  Hydrometer  Test. 


No.  I. 

Sulphite  Soda  solution  testing  60  by 
hydrometer. 

To  Develop   Take 


No.  2. 

Carbonate  soda  solution  testing  30 
by  hydrometer. 


Pyro  Solution i  oz. 

Water 6  oz. 


No.  I  Sulphite  solution i  oz. 

No.    2    Carbonate    of  Soda    solu- 
tion  I  oz. 

To  get  an  accurate  test  with  hydrometer  the  temperature  of  the  solutions  should 
be  always  the  same.    65'  Fahr.  is  about  right. 


Carbutt's  Pyro=Soda  Developer. 


No. 


Distilled  or  Ice  Water 10  oz. 

Oxalic  Acid 15  grs. 

Bromide  Potass. 30  grs. 

Then  add  Pyro  i  oz.  and  Water  to 
make  16  fluid  ozs. 


No.  a. 

Water 10  oz. 

Soda  Sulphite  Crystals 4  oz. 

Soda  Carb.  Crys.  (or  dry  gran,  i 

oz) 2  oz. 

Potash  Carbonate i  oz. 

Dissolve,  and  add  Water  to  make 
measure  16  fluid  ozs. 
No.  3. 
Bromide  of  Sodium  or  Potassium,  V4  oz.        Water,  5  oz. 
To  Develop  Take 

No.  I I  oz.       I        Water 40Z 

N0.2 1  oz.      I 


IN    THEORY    AND    PRACTICE. 


71 


Cramer's  Pyro=Soda  Developer. 


No. 


No.  2. 
Water 60  oz. 

Carbonate  of  Sodium    Crystals 
(Sal   Soda.) 5  oz. 

Sulphite  of  Sodium  Crystals 10  oz. 


Pyrogallic   Acid i  oz. 

Sulphite  of  Sodium  (Crystals). i  drm. 
Dissolve  the  Sulphite  of  Sodium  in 
6  oz.  Distilled  Water  and  add  Acetic 
.^cid  until  the  solution  turns  blue  lit- 
mus paper  red  and  then  add  the  Pyro. 

To  Develop  Take 
No.  I - I  drachm.         |         No.  2 i  oz. 

In  Winter  add  to  this  2  oz.  tepid  water;  in  Summer  add  3  to  5  ozs.  of  cold  water. 
If  the  high  lights  are  fiat  use  more  of  No.  i,  and  if  they  are  too  intense   use  less, 
but  do  not  use  too  little  of  No.  i  or  the  alkali  will  be  in  excess  and  cause  fog. 

Stanley's  Metol  and  Hydrochinon   Developer. 


Sulphite  of  Soda  (Crystals) 4     oz. 

Carbonate  of  Soda  (Crystals). .2j^  oz 


Metol }i  oz. 

Hydrochinon f-4  oz. 

Water 80     oz. 

Dissolve  in  the  order  given.    If  the  above  works  too  energetically  dilute  with 
pure  water  until  the  desired  result  is  obtained. 


When  thoroughly  dissolved,  add 

Sulphite  of  Soda,  Crystals.-  4     oz. 
Carbonate  of  Soda  Crystals..  2'/4  oz. 


Cramer's  rietol  and  Hydrochinon  Developer. 

Metol K  oz. 

Hydrochinon J4  oz. 

Water 80      oz. 

To  prepare  above  with  Hydrometer,  mix 

20  ozs.  Sulphite  of  Soda  Solution,  testing  60. 
20  ozs.  Carbonate  of  Soda  Solution,  testing  30. 
J4  oz.  Metol,  H  oz.  Hydrochinon,  dissolved  in  40  oz.  Water. 
For  summer  use,  dilute  the  developer  with  an  equal  quantity  of  water,  also  for 
large  plates,  so  that  the  development  does  not   proceed  too  rapidly  and  can   be 
properly  controlled.    If  negatives  of  less  contrast  are  desired  use  less  Hydrochinon 
and  more  Metol. 

Hammer's  Metol  and  Pyro  Developer. 


No.  I. 

Water 57     ozs. 

Sulphite  of  Soda  (Crystals)..  2%  ozs. 
Metol I     oz. 


No.  2. 

Water 57     ozs. 

Sulphite  of  Soda  (Crystals).  2j4  ozs. 
Pyro J4  oz. 


No.  3. 
Water 57  ozs.       |       Carbonate  Potass 2H  ozs. 


72  MODERN    PHOTOGRAPHY 

For  use.  Take  3  ounces  of  water  and  i  ounce  each  of  Nos.  i,  2  and  3.  This 
(Ic'vc'oper  iiiav  be  used  repeatedly  by  adding  a  little  fresh  developer  as  required. 

Keep  the  useJ  developer  in  separate  bottle. 

This  developer  comoines  the  desirable  qualities  of  Metol  and  Pyro,  and  g^ives  an 
ideal  negative. 

Carbutt's   Hydro=Metol   Developer. 


Water 32  ozs. 

Hydrochinon 60  grs. 

Metol 45  grs. 


Sulphiteol  Soda  Crystals i}4  oz. 

Bromide  of  Potash 20  grs. 

Carbonate  of  Soda  Crystals.. ..iV4  oz. 


Dissolve  in  the  order  named,  filter,  place  in  8  oz.  bottles  filled  to  the  neck.  After 
using  a  portion  p'ace  in  a  separate  bottle,  which  can  be  used  again  by  adding  a 
portion  of  fresh  developer. 

Seed's   Eikonogen=Hydrochinon    Developer. 


No.  1. 

Distillel  or  pure  well  water 32  oz. 

Sodium  Sulphite  (Crystals) 4  oz. 

Eikonogen 240  gr. 

Hydrochinon 60  gr. 


No.  2. 
Water 32  oz. 

Carbonate  of  Potash  4  oz. 


To  Develop  Take 

No.  1 20Z.       I       tWater i  oz. 

No  2 1  oz.       I 

To  prepare  the  above  by  Hydrometer  test. 


Sodium  Sulphite  Solution  to  test 

30-  34  oz. 

Eikonogen 240  gr. 

Hydrochinon 60  gr. 


Carbonate  of  Potash  Solution  to  test 
50. 


To  Develop  Take 

No.  I 2  oz.       I        +  Water i  oz. 

No.  2 1  oz.       I 

tFor  Double-cjated  Plates  use  5  oz.  water.    More  water  gives  less  contrast  and 
density. 

Cramer's  fletoU Bicarbonate  Developer. 

Metol - I  oz.       !       Sulphite  of  Soda,  Crystals 6  oz. 

Water 6ooz.  Bicarbonate  of  Soda 302. 

Thoroughly  dissolve  and  then  add  I 

To  prepare  above  with  Hydrometer,  mix 
30  oz.  Sulphite  of  Soda  Solution  testing  75. 
30  oz.  Bicarbonate  of  Soda  Solution,  testing  50. 
I  oz.  Metol   dissolved  in  12  oz.  Water- 


IN    THEORY    AND    PRACTICE. 


73 


This  developer  has  excellent  keeping  qualities,  works  very  uniform  andean  be 
used  repeatedly,  without  difference  in  the  results.  The  Bicarbonate  of  Soda  being 
a  very  mild  alkali,  it  is  not  liable  to  injure  the  film,  or  fog  the  plate. 

Cramer's  Bromo=Hydrochinon  Developer. 


No.  I. 

Distilled  or  Ice  Water 25  oz. 

Sulphite  of  Soda,  Crystals 3  oz. 

Hydrochinon %  oz. 

Bromide  of  Potassium -I4  oz. 

Dissolve   by  warming  and   let  cool 
before  use. 


No.  2. 
Water 25  oz. 

Carbonate  of  Soda,  Crystals 6  oz. 

Mix  I  and  2,  equal  parts,  for  use. 


Carbutt's  Eikonogen  and  Hydrochinon  Developer. 


Avoirdupois 
No.  I.  Weight. 

Distilled  Waaler 20  oz. 

Sulphite  of  Soda  Crystals 4  oz. 

Eikonogen 330  gr. 

Tlydrochincm 160  gr. 

Water  to  make  up  to 32  oz. 


Avoirdupois 
No.  2.  Weight. 

Distilled  Water 20  oz. 

Carbonate  of  Potash 2  oz. 

Carbonate  Soda  Crystals 2  oz. 

Water  to  make  up  to 32  oz. 


No.  2. 

Water 

I  oz. 

4  oz. 

I  oz. 

50Z. 

Vj  oz. 

30Z. 

%oz. 

40Z. 

y^oz. 

4  oz. 

To  Develop  Take 

No.  I. 

For  Instantaneous  Exposures i  oz. 

For   Portraits i  oz. 

For  Landscapes,  )  Sen.  20-27 i  oz. 

For  Full  E.xposures,      )     "     16-20 i  oz. 

For  Lantern  Slides,       1   i  oz. 

For  Full  Exposures,     '  and  2  to  6  drops  10  per  cent  solution  of  Bromide  of  Potas- 
sium to  each  oz.  Developer. 
Note.— More  of  No  i  will  increase  density,  more  of  No.  2  will  increase  detail  and 
softness.    Temperature  of  Developer  should  not  vary  much  below  65'   or  above 
75°.    The  after-treatment  is  the  same  as  with  any  other  Developer. 

Eastman's  Developer  for  Transparency  Plates. 


No.  I. 

Oxalate  of  Potash i  lb. 

Hot  Water 3  pints. 

Acidify  with  sulphuric  or  citric  acid_ 

Test  with  Litimus  paper. 


No.  2. 

Photo-Sulphate  of  Iron i  lb. 

Hot  Water 114  pints. 

Sulphuric  .■\cid 54  dram. 

Or  Citric  Acid K  oz. 


No.  3. 
Bromide  Potassium i  oz.       |       Water i  quart. 


74 


MODERN    PHOTOGRAPHY 


To  Develop  Take 

No.  I,  6  oz. ;  No.  2,  i  oz.;  No.  3,  i  dram. 
Mix  in  the  order  given.        Use  cold. 


No.  I. 

Hydrochinon 154  grs. 

Sodium   Sulphite 2  ozs. 

Sulphurous  Acid H  oz. 

Distilled  Water  to 10  ozs. 


Hydrochinon    Developer. 

No.  3. 
Carbonate  of  Sodium  Crystals 

1300  grs. 

Caustic  Potash 154  grs. 

Distilled    Water 10  ozs. 


To  use,  mix  tcgether  i  oz.  of  each  and  add  3  ozs.  of  water. 


Eikonogen  Developer. 


No. 


No.  a. 

Carbonate  of  Sodium 2V4  ozs. 

Caustic  Potash 125,  grs. 

Water  to  make 25  ozs. 


Dissolve  2  ozs.  of  Sodium  Sulphite 
in  10  ozs.  Distilled  Water  and  add  i 
drachm  of  Hydrochloric  acid.  To  this 
add 

Eikonogen 125  grs. 

Water  to  make 25  ozs. 

To  use,  mix  in  equal  parts  and  add  reslrainer  as  in  Pyro  Developer.  We  do  not 
recommend  this  developer  to  the  amateur,  for  if  not  carefully  handled  there  is  a  lia- 
bility to  fog. 

Glycine   Developer. 


No.  3. 

Potassium  Carbonate i  oz 

Distilled  Water 4  oz. 


No.  I. 

Glycine 300  grs. 

Sodium  Sulphite 2S  ozs. 

Distilled  Water 10  ozs. 

To  use,  mix  H  oz.  of  No.  i  and  H  oz.  of  No.  2,  and    add  3  oz.  of  water.    Use 
restrainer  as  in  Pyro  Developer. 

The  above  is  a  favorite  formula  for  developing  films. 
After  the  film  is  fixed  and  washed  it  should  be  soaked 
for  five  minutes  in  water  25  ozs.,  and  glycerine  i  oz. 
This  latter  bath  has  a  tendency  to  keep  the  film  soft 
and  pliable.  In  developing  films  they  should  be  treated 
exactly  the  same  as  plates  except  that  they  should  be 
soaked  in  water  for  about  ten  minutes,  and  when  devel- 
oping  they  should  be  turned  over  often,  first  film  up, 


IN    THEORY    AND    PRACTICE.  75 

then  film  down.  The  developing  should  be  continued 
as  a  rule  until  the  image  is  denser  than  that  on  an 
ordinary  plate,  as  films  seem  to  lose  their  density  in  the 
hypo  more  than  the  average  plates  do.  After  washing 
and  giving  them  the  glycerine  bath  they  should  be 
pinned  to  a  board  to  dry,  in  order  that  they  may  dry 
perfectly  flat. 

Rodinal  Developer. 

Rodinal  is  a  ready  prepared  developer  which  is  manu- 
factured in  Berlin,  Germany,  and  is  prepared  from  para- 
midophenol.  It  is  a  light  brown  liquid,  which  is  sold  in 
two-ounce  bottles.  In  the  case  of  a  normal  exposure 
the  developer  should  consist  of  i  part  of  Rodinal  to  25 
parts  of  water.  In  case  of  an  over-exposure  use  i 
part  of  Rodinal  to  15  or  20  parts  of  water,  and  a  10 
per  cent  solution  of  bromide  can  be  used  with  it  the 
same  as  with  other  developers.  In  the  case  of  an 
under-exposure,  use  i  part  of  Rodinal  to  30  or  40  parts 
of  water.  A  half  dozen  4x5  negatives  can  be  devel- 
oped with  y^  drachm  of    Rodinal    to  i  ^  ozs.  of  water. 

Tolidol  Developer. 

This  developer  is  the  first  and  in  fact,  the  only  devel- 
oper invented  and  manufactured  in  America. 

In  addition  to  this  distinction,  which  is  purely  a  patri- 
otic one,  is  the  incontestible  fact  that  it  is  superior  to  any 
and  all  of  the  old  developers  in  the  number  of  its  perfec- 


76  MODERN     PHOTOGRAPHY 

tions  and  the  uniform  quality  and  regularity  of  its  action. 

Tolidol  is  an  ideal  developing  agent  for  plates  and 
films,  as  well  as  for  developing  papers.  Its  action  is 
rapid,  yet  gradual  and  easily  controlled.  It  does  not 
stain  the  hands  or  plates;  is  not  injurious.  It  dissolves 
easily,  even  in  cold  water.  When  it  is  made  up  accord- 
ing to  the  formula  it  will  keep  in  solution  before  and  after 
use, ordinary  care  being  taken.  It  can  be  used  repeatedly. 
Tolidol  gives  beautifully  clear  negatives,  preserving  all 
the  fine  gradations  and  delicate  details  in  the  high  lights 
as  well  as  in  deep  shadows.  It  is  excellent  for  white  dra- 
pery or  flesh  detail  and  fine  effects  in  Rembrandt  light- 
ing.    It  allows  the  production  of  a  great  variety  of  tones. 

It  is  excellent  for  lantern  slides  and  transparencies,  for 
process  work,  copying  work,  reproductions  and  for  bro- 
mide paper. 

Tolidol  meets  every  requirement  and  is  very  econom- 
ical. One  ounce  makes  two  and  one-half  to  five  gallons  of 
developer,  according  to  taste.  One-half  grain  to  one  ounce 
of  water  will  act  on  a  sensitive  time-exposed  plate.  It 
requires  small  portions  of  sulphite  and  carbonate. 

To  add  more  would  be  equivalent  to  asserting  that  we 
know  more  than  the  plate  makers  and  any  of  them  would 
tell  you  that  that  is  not  and  cannot  be  so. 

The  use  of  the  alkali  in  all  developers,  is  to  open  up 
the  pores  of  the  gelatine  to  permit  the  developer  to  gel 
at  the  silver  salts.  When  you  have  accomplit^hed  this, 
•iny  further  addition    of    alkali    will    sinipl}-  produce  fog 


IN    THEORY    AND    PRACTICE.  77 

and  photographers  using  solutions  in  which  the  alkalies 
are  separate,  as  in  two  solution  developers,  should  be 
careful  not  to  add  an  excess  of  alkali,  as  it  is  bound  to 
prove  detrimental  to  the  plates.  Many  of  the  published 
formula  err  in  this  respect  and  many  a  good  formula  is 
rendered  greatly  inferior  in  the  hands  of  a  careless  oper- 
ator through  using  too  much  alkali.  Beware  of  develop- 
ing formula  that  contain  potash,  as  potash  gives  a  much 
stronger  and  harsher  action  than  soda  and  is  rapidly  be- 
ing discarded  in  favor  of  soda  for  that  reason.  A 
further  point  is  that  by  confining  the  chemical  operations 
to  the  use  of  the  various  sodas  much  is  gained  in  simpli- 
city and  the  liability  to  serious  reactions  in  developing 
and  fixing  solutions  and  in  toning  and  fixing  solutions  will 
be  avoided,  especially  where  solutions  are  kept  and  used 
over  and  over  again  until  exhausted  or  spoiled. 

Bromide  of  ammonia  is  highly  recommended  as  a 
substitute  for  bromide  of  potassium  as  a  restrainer,  having 
a  less  clogging  effect  in  the  highlights.  It  is  used  as  a 
loper  cent  solution.  Chloride  of  sodium,  common  table 
salt,  is  also  excellent  as  a  restrainer  in  a  lo  per  cent  solu- 
tion. In  using  the  latter  be  careful  not  to  restrain 
too  much,  as  4  to  6  drops  of  chloride  of  sodium  will 
have  as  much  restraining  effect  as  lo  oz.  of  a  like  solu- 
tion of  bromide  of  potassium,  but  a  badly  over-exposed 
piate  restrained  with  chloride  of  sodium  will  be  much 
clearer  than  the  same  plate  treated  with  bromide  of 
potassium. 


78 


MODERN    PHOTOGRAPHY. 


Keep  the  temperature  of  your  developing  solution  as 
even  as  possible  and  avoid  extremes.  If  necessary  in 
summer,  put  a  piece  of  ice  in  your  developing  tray  to 
keep  the  solution  down  to  70°  and  in  winter  warm  it  if 
necessary  to  bring  it  to  that  point. 

The  ordinary  fixing  bath  consists  of  one  part  of  hypo- 
sulphite of  soda  to  four  parts  of  water.  There  are  vari- 
ous other  fixing  baths  known  as  acid  baths,  alum  baths, 
etc.  Fixing  baths  should  be  kept  free  from  dust  and  to 
do  this  you  should  fit  a  cover  to  your  bath.  They  should 
also  be  filtered  occasionally.  The  various  plate  manu- 
facturers recommend  the  following  fixing  baths: 

Seed's  Chrome-Alum  Fixing  Bath. 


No.  I. 

Water  (3  quarts) 96  oz. 

Hypo 2  lbs. 

Sulphite  of  Soda  (Crystals) 4  oz. 


No.  2. 

Water 32  oz. 

Clirome-Alum 2  oz. 

Sulphuric  Acid V4  oz. 


Pour  No.  2  into  No.  1,  while  stirring  No.  i  rapidly.    As  the  Chrorae-.Alum  dis- 
solves slowly  a  stock  solution  of  No.  2  can  be  made  up. 


Cramer's  Acid  Fixing  Bath. 


No.  I. 


Hyposulphite  of  Soda 48  oz. 

Water  (3  quarts) 96  oz. 


No.  2. 

Water 32  oz. 

Sulphuric  Acid,  added  gradually  \  oz. 
Sulphite  of  Sodium  Crystals. . .  4  oz. 
Chrome-.Muni  2  oz. 


After  the  ingredients  are  dissolved  pour  No.  2  into  No.  i.  During  cold  weather 
one-half  tiie  quantity  of  No.  2  is  sutticient.  This  ba'h  remains  clear  after  trequt-iit 
use,  does  not  discolor  the  negatives  and  hardens  the  gelatine  to  such  a  degree  tiial 
they  can  be  washed  in  warm  water.  They  sliDuld  be  left  in  the  bath  five  to  ten  min- 
utes after  the  Bromide  ul  Silver  appears  to  have  been  dissolved,  to  insure  perma- 
nency, freedom  from  stain  and  perfect  hardening.  With  the  use  of  iho  above 
described  .Acid  Fixing  Bath,  tliere  is  no  danger  of  frilling,  even  in  tropical  cli- 
mates. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

Even  the  professional,  who  has  had  years  of  experi- 
ence, does  not  produce  a  perfect  plate  every  time,  and 
the  amateur  must  not  be  discouraged  if  he  meets  with 
failures  very  often.  The  professional  resorts  to  many 
different  dodges  for  doctering  up  his  unsatisfactory  neg- 
atives. The  most  common  faults  with  amateur  negatives 
are  that  they  are  either  too  thin  or  too  dense,  i.  e.,  they 
are  either  under  or  over  exposed  or  developed,  or  both. 
To  a  certain  extent  these  evils  can  be  remedied.  If  our 
negative  is  too  thin  and  gives  a  flat  print  with  little  relief 
of  light  and  shade,  we  may  improve  it  by  means  of 
intensification.  If  the  negative  has  been  dried  it  must 
be  soaked  in  water  for  about  twenty  minutes  before 
applying  the  intensifi'ir.  If  the  negative  is  not  yet  dried, 
it  must  be  very  thoroughly  washed  to  remove  the  very 
last  traces  of  hypo. 

Bi-Chloride  of  Mercury  Intensifier. 

No.  a. 

Sulphite  of  Soda,  Crystals 154  grs. 

Distilled  Water 3  oz. 


No.  I. 

Bi-Chloride  of  Mercury 31  grs. 

Distilled  Water 4  oz. 


The  negative  is  laid  in  a  tray  and  solution  No.  i  is 
poured  over  it.  The  tray  must  be  kept  rocking  con- 
stantly as  in  developing  and  see  that  the  solution  thor- 
oughly covers  the  entire  plate  or  you  will  have  streaks. 

7» 


8o  MODERN    PHOTOGRAPHY 

It  will  soon  begin  to  turn  a  dirty  white  and  the  length  of 
time  it  is  to  remain  in  the  solution  depends  largely  on 
the  amount  of  intensification  desired.  The  negative  is 
removed  and  rinsed  for  a  few  minutes  in  running  water 
and  then  put  in  another  tray  and  solution  No.  2  is  poured 
over  it.  Special  trays  should  be  provided  for  intensifi- 
cation and  so  labeled  and  not  used  for  other  purposes, 
unless  they  are  made  of  glass  or  porcelain,  and  then 
they  must  be  thoroughly  cleaned  after  use.  As  soon  as 
solution  No.  2  begins  to  turn  the  plate  black,  remove  it 
and  look  through  the  negative  towards  the  light  and 
when  it  has  blackened  sufficiently  remove  it  from  the 
solution  and  wash  for  at  least  one  hour  in  running  water 
and  then  put  it  away  to  dry. 

Chloride  as  well  as  Bi-Chloride  of  mercury  is  used  as 
an  intensifier  and  the  following  is  a  standard  formula: 

Chloride  of  Mercury  Intensifier. 

No.  I. 

Chloride  of  Mercury loo  grs. 

Ammonium  Chloride loo  grs.' 

Distilled  Water lo  oz. 

In  making  No.  i,  dissolve  the  ammonium  chloride  in 
the  water  and  then  add  the  chloride  of  mercury.  Shake 
the  bottle  occasionally  and  when  the  mercury  is  all  dis- 
solved it  is  ready  for  use.  The  solution  acts  very  much 
like  that  previously  described.  When  the  plate  has 
turned  white  it  should  be  lifted  out,  washed  for  about 
twenty  minutes  and  then  treated  with  No.  2  until  it  turns 
black  and  the  color  is  sufficiently  dense.     Should  a  very 


No.  a. 

Sodium  Sulphite  i  oz. 

Distilled  Water 16  oz. 


IN    THEORY    AND    PRACTICE.  8l 

dense  intensification  be  desired  a  5  per  cent  solution  of 
ammonia  may  be  substituted  for  the  sulphite. 

The  Cramer  Dry  Plate  Works  advise  the  following: 

Cramer  Intensifier. 


No.  I. 

Bi-Chloride  of  Mercury,  Satur- 

rated  Solution *q.  s. 

Iodide  of  Potassium iJi  oz. 

Distilled  Water 6  oz. 


No.  2. 

Hyposulphite  of  Soda i  oz. 

Distilled  Water 20  oz. 


In  solution  No.  i  a  saturated  solution  of  the  mercury 
should  be  made  with  water,  and  this  should  be  poured 
gradually  into  the  solution  of  potassium  and  water  until 
the  point  is  reached,  when  the  red  precipitate  will  no 
longer  dissolve  by  shaking,  but  be  careful  not  to  add 
more  mercury  than  just  enough  to  make  the  solution 
very  slightly  turbid.  You  are  now  ready  to  add  No.  2. 
You  will  note  this  is  a  single  solution  intensifier.  For 
use,  the  above  solution  should  be  diluted  with  about  three 
parts  of  water.  Proceed  as  with  other  intensifiers 
until  sufficient  intensity  is  reached  and  wash  thoroughly. 
Should  the  plate  be  over  intensified  it  may  be  reduced 
by  placing  it  in  the  hypo  fixing  bath  for  a  short  time. 

Be  careful  to  mark  all  bottles  containing  intensifiers 
POISON  and  put  them  away  carefull}-. 

Do  not  try  to  intensify  plates  when  you  have  scratches 
or  cuts  on  your  fingers  and  do  not  place  your  face  over 
the  solution  where  you  would  inhale  the  fumes  of  the 
mercury.  Keep  your  fingers  out  of  all  mercury  baths 
as  much  as  possible. 

♦q.  s.  signifies  a  sufficient  quantity. 


82  MODERN    PHOTOGRAPHY 

Mr. John  Carbutt  recommends  the  following: 
Carbutt's   Intenslfier. 

No.  I.  I  No.  3. 

Bichlor.  Mercury 240  grs.  Chloride  Ammonia 240  grs. 

Chloride  Ammonia 1 240  grs.  Water 20  oz. 

Distilled  Water 20  oz.  | 

No.  3. 

Distilled  Water 6  oz.  I  Distilled  Water 2  oz. 

Cyanide  Potass.  C.  P 60  grs.  I  Nitrate  of  Silver 60  gr 

Pour  the  silver  into  the  cyanide  solution  while  stir- 
ring. Let  the  plate  to  be  intensified,  wash  for  at  least 
half  an  hour,  then  lay  in  a  5  per  cent  solution  of  alum 
for  ten  minutes  and  again  wash  thoroughly;  this  is  to 
insure  the  perfect  elimination  of  the  hypo.  The  least 
trace  of  yellowness  after  intensifying  shows  that  the 
washing  was  not  sufficient. 

Flow  sufficient  of  No.  i  over  the  negative  to  cover  it, 
and  allow  to  either  partially  or  entirely  whiten;  the 
longer  it  is  allowed  to  act,  the  more  intense  will  be  the 
result;  pour  off  into  the  sink,  then  flow  over  No.  2  and 
allow  to  act  one  minute;  wash  off.  and  pour  over,  or 
immerse  in  No.  3  until  changed  entirely  to  a  dark  brown 
or  black.  No.  3  can  be  returned  to  its  bottle,  but  Nos.  i 
and  2  had  better  be  thrown  away.  Wash  thoroughly 
and  dry. 

We  do  not  recommend  the  mercury  intensifiers  and 
advise  amateurs  to  have  as  little  as  possible  to  do  with 
mercury  in  any  form.  Even  with  the  most  thorough 
washing  you  will  sometimes  fail  to  eradicate  the  mercury 
entirely,  and  after  a  while  you  will  find  your   negative 


IN    THEORY    AND    PRACTICE. 


83 


is  ruined.  Tlie  Uranium  intensifier  gives  as  good  if  not 
better  results  and  without  any  danger  of  destroying  the 
plate. 

Uranium  Intensifier. 


No.  I. 

Nitrate  of  Uranium 15  grs. 

Distilled  Water 4  oz. 


No.  2. 
Ferri-Cyanide  of  Potassium. ..15  grs. 
Distilled  Water 4  oz. 


For  use  mix  3  oz.  of  No.  i,  3  oz.  of  No.  2  and  i  oz. 
of  Glacial  Acetic  Acid.  The  solution  is  poured  over  the 
plate,  which  has  previously  been  washed,  and  the  tray  is 
kept  rocking  constantly.  At  first  the  plate  assumes  a 
dark  brown  color  and  later  a  red  color,  which  prints 
very  well.  Do  not  leave  the  negative  in  tr  ^  intensifier 
too  long  as  the  color  is  somewhat  deceptive  and  a  nega- 
tive while  in  the  tray  may  not  look  strong  but  when  held 
to  the  light  may  be  found  to  be  fully  intensified.  The 
plate  should  then  be  washed  for  about  a  quarter  of  an 
hour.  If  washed  too  long  the  intensification  will  be 
removed  and  yet  it  must  be  washed  sufficiently  to  remove 
all  chemicals  from  the  film.  At  first  the  water  runs  off 
the  plate  as  though  the  latter  were  greased.  Washing 
must  be  continued  until  the  acid,  which  causes  this  greasy 
appearance,  is  entirely  removed.  This  solution  may 
also  be  used  for  local  intensification,  i.  e  ,  intensification 
in  spots  or  parts.  To  do  this  you  first  intensify  the 
entire  negative  aud  then  proceed  to  reduce  the  intensifi- 
cation in  places  by  the  application  of  diluted  ammonia 
with  a  camel's  hair  brush.     One  part  of  ammonia,  spe- 


84  MODERN    PHOTOGRAPHY 

cific  gravity  .9O,  in  twenty  parts  of  water  is  about  right. 
The  intensification  fades  away  under  the  application  of 
the  ammonia.  When  applying  the  ammonia  a  tray  of 
water  should  be  at  hand  and  if  the  intensification  is  fad- 
ing too  much  or  beyond  the  spots  you  desire  to  bleach, 
dash  water  over  the  plate,  or  better  still,  hold  it  under 
running  water.  Keep  the  plate  fiat  when  applying  the 
ammonia  and  apply  a  little  at  a  time,  watching  carefully 
to  see  that  it  does  not  run  where  it  is  not  wanted.  If  it 
is  a  sky  that  requii  s  reducing,  stand  the  plate  on  edge 
and  the  sky  downward  so  the  ammonia  will  run  away 
from  instead  of  towards  the  picture.  After  this  treat- 
ment the  negative  should  be  washed  for  fully  one  hour 
in  order  to  remove  the  last  traces  of  ammonia. 

Very  often  the  amateur  in  seeking  to  bring  out  every 
detail  in  his  plate  over  developes  it,  i.  e.,  deposits  silver 
on  it  with  such  a  lavish  hand  that  when  he  comes  to 
print  from  the  negative  he  finds  it  so  dense  as  to  require 
hours  to  print  it.  This  may  be  remedied  by  what  is 
technically  known  as  reduction.  There  are  several 
formulas  for  reducers  and  there  is  little  choice  between 
them. 

Hammer's  Reducer. 


No.  I. 
Water i6  oz. 

Ferricyanide  of  Pottassium i  oz. 


No.  a. 

Water i6  oz. 

Hyposulphite  of  Sodium i  oz. 


Keep   solution  No.  i  in  a  brown   or  dark-blue   bottle 
and  in  the  dark  room,  as  it  is  effected  by  the  light.    Take 


IN    TUF.ORY    AND    PRACTICE.  85 

a  sufficient  quantity  of  No.  2  to  cover  the  plate  in  a  tray, 
and  add  to  it  a  small  quantity  of  No.  i ;  immerse  the  plate 
and  watch  it  carefully.  If  the  solution  contains  enough 
of  No.  I,  the  reduction  will  proceed  rapidly.  If  certain 
parts  only  of  the  negative  are  too  dense,  apply  the  redu- 
cing solution  to  those  parts,  while  wet,  with  a  pencil 
brush.  Wash  the  plate  thoroughly  after  this  treat- 
ment. 

Lainer's  Reducer. 

Potassium   Iodide lo  grs.      i        Distilled  Water 2i4  oz. 

Sodium  Hyposulphite i4  oz.       I 

If  the  negative  has  been  dried  it  must  first  be  thor- 
oughly soaked  as  when  intensifying,  but  if  still  wet  the 
reducer  may  at  once  be  applied  by  flowing  over  it  in  a 
tray  but  the  plate  should  not  be  allowed  to  reduce  too 
far  but  rather  removed  before  it  has  reached  the  appar- 
ently right  reduction  and  washed  in  water.  If  not  reduced 
sufficiently  it  can  again  be  inserted. 
Belitzki's  Reducer. 

Potassium  Ferri  Oxalate 54  oz. 

Sodium  Sulphite i8o  grs. 

Water lo  02. 

When  this  has  dissolved  add; 

Oxalic  Acid,  Crystals 30  grs. 

Now  measure  out 

Sodium  Hyposulphite 2Vi    oz. 

Water   5    oz. 

And  when  dissolved  add  this  to  the   above.     Before 
the  oxalic  acid  is  added  to  the  first  solution  it  will  be  an 


86  MODERN    PHOTOGKAPHY 

ox-blood  red  but  after  the  addition  will  turn  green.  It 
should  then  be  poured  off  carefully  and  added  to  the  hypo 
solution.  This  solution  is  applied  either  to  a  wet  plate 
or  one  which  has  been  soaked,  by  flowing  over  it.  Plates 
that  need  local  reduction  only  may  be  treated  with  any 
of  the  above  reducers  by  applying  it  with  a  camel's  hair 
brush  the  same  as  directed   for  intensification. 

Reduction  by  means  of  alcohol  is  very  efficient  and 
convenient  under  some  conditions  as  it  requires  no  chem- 
icals aside  from  the  alcohol.  It  is  mostly  confined,  how- 
ever, to  negatives  that  require  local  reduction  only.  The 
negative  should  be  laid,  film  up,  upon  a  flat  surface  like 
a  table  or  a  piece  of  plate  glass  and  the  portions  to  be 
reduced  are  rubbed  vigorously  with  a  piece  of  chamois 
leather  wet  with  alcohol.  The  finger  of  an  old  kid  glove 
when  turned  inside  out  will  do  very  well,  but  care  must 
be  exercised  not  to  let  the  seam  in  the  glove  come  in  con- 
tact with  the  film.  It  should  be  turned  inside  out  because 
the  alcohol  might  make  the  dye  in  the  glove  "run  "  and 
stain  the  negative.  Do  not  be  afraid  of  hurting  the  film, 
provided  the  negative  is  thoroughly  dry,  for  instead  of 
softening  the  alcohol  hardens  the  film,  and  after  it  has 
been  rubbed  for  a  while  the  film  will  shine  like  a  piece 
of  polished  steel,  and  all  the  dull,  downy  appearance  that 
is  often  seen  on  over  developed  negatives  will  be  entirely 
removed.  Keep  the  leather  wet  with  the  alcohol  or  you 
will  effect  little.  On  examining  the  leather  you  will  see 
that  you  have  removed  some  of  the  silver  frcm  the  filni 


IN   THEORY    AND    PRACTICE.  87 

as  the  leather  has  been  blackened  thereby.  One  of  the 
advantages  of  this  process  of  reduction  is  that  you  can 
stop  at  any  time  and  take  a  proof  and  if  not  satisfactory 
you  can  proceed  with  the  reduction.  We  should  imagine 
that  a  negative  rubbed  with  alcohol  would  wear  much 
better  than  one  which  has  not  and  be  less  liable  to  be 
scratched  and  finger  marked,  for  the  surface  of  the  film 
appears  to  be  as  hard  as  sole  leather.  This  is  an  excel- 
lent process  for  treating  halation.  Aside  from  being 
too  dense  or  too  thin  negatives  often  have  other  faults 
prominent  among  which  are  the  following: 

Yellow  Negatives.  This  is  occasioned  by  prolonged 
development,  by  a  decomposed  Pyro  Solution  or  by  an 
insufficient  quantity  of  or  decomposed  sulphite  of  sodium 
in  the  developer.  Sometimes  the  yellow  merges  into  a 
red-brown,  depending  somewhat  on  the  developer.  This 
may  be  remedied  by  using  a  clearing  solution  consist- 
ing of 

Water 20  oz.         I       Sulphuric   Acid i  dram. 

PulverizedAlum Ys  oz.         1 

Always  pour  the  acid  into  the  water;  never  pour  water 
into  acid.  The  negative  should  remain  in  the  clearing 
bath  for  about  ten  minutes  and  should  then  be  well 
washed. 

Yellow  AND  Brown  Stains.  These  stains  are  usually 
accompanied  by  an  iridescence  on  the  surface  of  the  neg- 
ative. It  is  caused  by  using  too  warm  a  developer,  by 
strengthening  developer  while  plate  is  in  the  tray,  or  by 


88  MODERN    IMIOTOGRAPHY 

using  a  developer  stronger  in  alkali  than  the  plate  will 
stand.  Never  strengthen  the  developer  by  pouring  the 
solution  directly  into  the  tray  which  has  a  plate  in  it. 
Remove  the  plate,  add  new  developer,  pour  it  into  a 
graduate,  replace  plate  and  flow  developer  over  it.  The^e 
stains  are  also  sometimes  caused  by  using  a  plain  hypo 
bath  which  has  been  used  too  long  and  which  has  become 
dark  in  color.  These  stains  may  usually  be  removed  by 
local  application  of  a  reducing  solution. 

Weak  or  Thin  Negatives.  This  may  result  from  sev- 
eral causes.  The  film  on  the  negative  may  be  too  thin. 
If  it  has  clear  shadows  it  is  the  result  of  under  develop- 
ment. If  it  has  plenty  of  detail  in  the  shadows  it  is  a 
case  of  over  exposure  or  too  weak  developer.  This  may 
be  remedied  by  intensification. 

Green  Fog.  The  plate  is  covered  with  a  green  fog  or 
film  when  hypo  has  been  allowed  to  get  into  the  devel- 
oper. 

Transparent  Lines.  This  is  sometimes  found  on 
plates  after  development  and  is  caused  by  scratching  the 
film  by  dusting  with  a  coarse  brush. 

Mottled  Negatives.  These  are  caused  by  the  pre- 
cipitation from  the  fixing  bath  which  contains  alum,  if 
the  solution  is  old  or  dirty.  Negatives  cannot  be  reme- 
died when  in  this  condition  but  it  can  be  guarded  against 
by  preparing  a  new  fixing  bath. 

Crystallization  on  Negatives.  This  is  caused  by 
insufticient  washing  after  fixing.   If  the  salt  is  just  begin- 


IN    THEORY    AND    PRACTICE.  89 

ning  to  appear  and  the  film' of  the  negative  has  not  been 
destroyed  the  plate  may  be  saved  by  a  thorough  washing 
for  two  hours  followed  by  a  bath  composed  of  50  grs.  of 
Persulphate  of  Potash,  sometimes  known  as  Anthion,  to 
16  oz.  of  Water.  They  should  be  soaked  for  ten  min- 
utes, washed  and  examined,  and  this  operation  repeated 
three  or  four  times.  If  the  hypo  crystals  disappear  after 
this  but  the  yellow  stain  remains,  treat  with  the  cleaning 
solution.  If,  however,  the  hypo  has  eaten  into  the  film 
you  might  just  as  well  throw  away  the  negative. 

Frilling.  This  consists  of  the  film  separating  from 
the  glass  at  the  edges  of  the  plate  and  wrinkling  up. 
This  sometimes  occurs  in  the  development  in  hot 
weather.  Remedy,  keep  developer  cool  with  ice.  It 
also  occurs  in  the  fixing  bath  and  when  washing.  This 
occurs  when  using  too  concentrated  or  too  old  a  fixing 
bath  or  washing  in  too  warm  water.  Alum  in  the  fixing 
bath  prevents  frilling. 

Blisters  on  Negatives.  The  same  causes  that  pro- 
duce frilling  sometimes  produce  blisters  in  the  middle  of 
the  plate.  Plates  made  in  the  hot  summer  months  by 
manufacturers  who  have  no  ice  plants  in  connection  with 
their  factories,  for  keeping  down  the  temperature,  often 
have  minute  blisters  over  their  entire  surface,  and  these 
blisters  are  so  small  as  not  to  be  perceived  until  after  the 
plate  is  dried.  As  a  usual  thing  they  do  not  effect  the 
printing  qualities  of  the  negatives  and  do  not  show  except 
in  the  case  of  a  clear  sky.     In  such  a  case  the  sky  can  be 


90 


MODERN  PHOTOGRAPHY 


blanked  out  by  covering  with  a  piece  of  paper  and  the 
sky  of  another  negative  printed  in  as  described  in  the  next 
chapter.  Too  much  acid  in  the  fixing  bath  will  also  pro- 
duce blisters. 

Round  Transparknt  Spots.  These  are  caused  by 
bubbles  in  the  developer.  Break  the  bubbles  with  the 
finger  as  rapidly  as  they  appear.  The  negative  can  be 
saved  by  skilful  touching  up,  which  will  be  explained 
later  on. 

Irregular  Transparent  Spots.  These  are  caused 
by  dust  on  the  film  of  the  plate  before  it  was  exposed. 
They  can  be  filled  in  as  will  be  described  later  on. 

Small  Dark  Spots.  Small  dark  spots  sometimes 
appear  all  over  the  negative.  This  is  sometimes  caused 
by  old  plates  that  have  deteriorated  but  more  often  from 
faulty  fixing,  especially  where  negatives  are  fixed  in  a 
tray  and  lay  in  a  horizontal  position.  Small  pieces  of 
film  and  dirt  settle  on  the  face  of  the  negative  and  parti- 
cles of  the  bromide  of  silver  are  not  fixed  out  on  this 
account.  Dirt  also  settles  and  imbeds  itself  in  the  film. 
There  is  no  remedy.  It  can  be  avoided  by  fixing  in  a 
bath  where  plates  are  held  in  a  vertical  position  and  all 
dirt  sinks  to  the  bottom. 

Streaks.  These  are  sometimes  caused  by  excess  of 
acid  in  fixing  bath,  particularly  if  the  streaks  run  the 
same  way  that  the  plate  was  inserted  in  bath.  They 
sometimes  occur  from  slight  leakage  of  light  in  plate 
holder  or  bellows,  but  then  show  when  plate  is  devel- 


IN    THEORY    AND    PRACTICE.  pt 

oped  and  before  fixing.  There  is  no  way  of  saving  such 
plates.  Prepare  new  fixing  bath  or  hunt  up  leaks  in 
camera  or  holders  as  the  case  may  be. 

Fog.  Fog  is  a  deposit  of  silver  which  has  the  appear- 
ance of  a  grey  veil  all  over  the  plate.  It  deepens  the 
shadows  and  gives  the  entire  negative  a  flat,  dirty  appear- 
ance without  sharp  lines.  There  are  many  causes  for 
fog,  among  them  being  over  exposure  of  the  plate,  leak- 
age of  light  through  a  defect  in  the  plate  holder,  or  cam- 
era, or  the  admission  of  white  light  into  the  dark  room. 
Fog  may  be  produced  by  an  unsafe  lamp  in  the  dark 
room,  either  at  the  time  the  plates  are  loaded  or  during 
development.  A  developer  which  is  too  strong  in  alkali 
will  also  produce  fog.  If  the  plate  has  been  exposed  to 
light  before  development  the  fog  will  make  its  appear- 
ance before  the  image  does.  Very  old  plates  also  have 
a  tendency  to  fog.  If  the  fog  was  caused  by  over  expos- 
ure or  light  leakage  in  camera  it  can  be  verified  by 
examining  the  edges  of  the  plate  where  it  was  held  in 
the  holder.  If  the  protected  edges  remained  white  then 
the  latter  was  the  case,  but  if  the  entire  surface  of  the 
plate  is  fogged  then  it  is  probably  a  case  of  unsafe  light 
in  the  dark  room.  Fogged  spots  at  one  side  or  one  cor- 
ner of  the  plate  are  attributable  to  carelessness  in  insert- 
ing the  slide  in  the  plate  holder  after  exposure,  allowing 
the  white  light  to  creep  in  by  inserting  one  corner  of 
the  slide  first.  As  a  general  rule  if  the  fog  is  not  too 
dense  and  the  contrasts  are  good  the  plate  can  be  saved 


p2  MODERN    PHOTOGRAPHY 

by  reducing  it  until  all  signs  of  fog  have  disappeared, 
and  then  after  giving  it  a  thorough  washing  the  plate  can 
be  intensified  to  the  required  shade.  Local  reduction 
can  be  used  where  portions  only  are  fogged  followed 
by  local  intensification.  Small  fog  spots  may  sometimes 
be  successfully  removed  by  allowing  the  film  to  dry  thor- 
oughly and  then  reducing  by  means  of  the  alcohol  rub- 
bing process  as  above  described.  If  it  is  suspected  that 
the  fog  is  owing  to  leakage  of  light  through  the  camera 
or  holder  careful  examination  must  be  made  until  the 
source  is  discovered  and  the  fault  remedied.  If  the  dark 
room  lamp  is  suspected  it  should  be  carefully  tested 
by  exposing  a  fresh  plate  to  the  rays  of  the  lantern  for 
several  minutes  and  then  developing  it.  If  the  devel- 
oper produces  fog  and  yet  is  not  too  strong  in  alkali 
then  we  know  that  the  lamp  is  at  fault  and  steps  must  be 
taken  to  procure  another  ruby  glass  or  to  fit  an  orange 
glass  or  paper  over  the  ruby. 


CHAP!  ER  IX. 

When  a  negative  has  small  transparent  spots  on  it. 
caused  by  dust  on  the  plate  or  air  bubbles  in  the  devel- 
oper, they  may  be  successfully  treated  by  what  is  known 
as  the  spotting-out  process.  The  negative  is  placed  at  an 
angle  of  45°  and  a  piece  of  card  board  or  white  paper 
is  placed  back  of  it  in  such  a  way  as  to  reflect  the 
light  through  the  negative,  or  better  still,  it  is  placed  on 
a  retouching  stand.  The  spotting  is  usually  done  with 
water  colors,  although  India  ink  is  sometimes  used. 
Gum  water  or  the  white  of  an  egg  should  be  used  with 
the  color  in  order  to  make  it  adhere  firmly  and  it  also 
prevents  it  running.  The  gum  water  is  prepared  by 
putting  a  few  pieces  of  gum  Arabic  in  a  small  vial  and 
covering  it  with  warm  water.  Shake  the  vial  occasion- 
ally and  when  the  gum  is  dissolved  it  is  ready  for  use. 
One  or  two  sable  brushes  with  very  fine  points  should  be 
secured.  A  little  color  should  be  mixed  with  the  gum 
water  or  albumen  and  care  must  be  taken  to  match  the 
color  of  the  tilm  on  the  negative  as  nearly  as  possible. 
The  best  water  colors  for  the  purpose  are  what  are 
known  as  moist  colors,  which  are  put  up  in  small  china 
pans.  Sepia,  vandyke  brown,  burnt  umber,  black  and 
dark  blue  are  the  principal  colors  used.  Mix  a  little  of 
the  color  to  the  right  shade  by  means  of  a  large  brush, 

93 


94  Modern  photography 

but  be  careful  not  to  thin  the  color  too  much.  Now 
take  your  fine  pointed  brush,  wet  it  in  the  gum  water 
and  draw  it  to  a  fine  point  between  the  fingers  and  by 
turning  it  around  and  around  on  the  pallette  or  saucer. 
Now  lift  a  small  quantity  of  the  color  on  the  extreme 
end  of  the  brush  and  apply  it  to  the  transparent  spot. 
You  must  not  attempt  to  fill  in  the  entire  spot  with  one 
daub  but  rather  apply  the  extreme  point  of  the  brush  to 
one  side  of  the  spot,  making  a  very  small  stipple,  about 
the  size  of  the  point  of  a  pin.  Allow  it  to  dry  for  a  min- 
ute and  then  make  another  stipple  and  so  on,  until  the 
spot  is  entirely  filled  in.  Be  careful  not  to  use  too  dark 
a  color  or  to  apply  too  much  of  it,  so  the  spot  will  be 
darker  than  the  surrounding  film,  or  when  you  come  to 
print  you  will  leave  a  white,  instead  of  a  black  mark  on 
your  paper.  If  you  match  the  color  of  the  negative 
carefully  and  do  not  apply  too  much  color,  when  you 
come  to  make  your  print  you  cannot  find  the  spot, 
because  the  light  has  penetrated  through  it  to  just  the 
extent  that  it  penetrated  the  film.  The  dots  need  not 
touch  one  another  exactly  and  the  spot  need  not  be 
entirely  filled  in.  Very  small  spaces  between  the  dots 
do  not  show  on  the  print. 

Negative  spotting  may  also  be  done  by  means  of  a 
medium  hard  lead  pencil,  sharpened  to  a  fine  point 
but  when  a  pencil  is  used,  it  is  first  necessary  to  apply 
a  small  quantity  of  retouching  varnish  to  the  spot  or 
the   pencil   will  not   act.      Retouching   varnish    can    be 


IN   THEORY    AND    PRACTICE.  95 

purchased  at  very  small   expense   from  any  photogra 
phic  supply  house,  or  the  following  will  answer: 

Gum  damar 6ogrs. 

Turpentine i  oz. 

A  very  small  quantity  of  the  varnish  should  be  taken 
on  the  end  of  the  forefinger  and  applied  to  the  spot  by 
rubbing  it  lightly.  Allow  the  varnish  to  dry,  which  it 
will  do  in  a  few  minutes  and  then  proceed  to  stipple  in 
the  spot  with  the  extreme  point  of  the  pencil,  making  as 
it  were  minute  commas.  These  can  lap  one  over  the 
other  until  the  spot  is  entirely  filled  in.  Sometimes  the 
photographer  prefers  to  fill  in  the  spot  with  one  or  two 
daubs  of  black  varnish  or  Gihon's  opaque,  which  will 
leave  a  white  spot  on  the  print  and  then  spot  out  the 
print  with  water  color  that  matches  the  color  of  the 
print.  Spotting  out  on  negatives  must  not  be  confounded 
with  spotting  out  on  prints. 

It  sometimes  happens  that  a  negative  prints  too  dark 
in  spots  or  one  part  prints  more  rapidly  than  another. 
This  is  often  found  in  landscapes  that  have  a  heavy  fore- 
ground and  also  sky  effects.  If  we  print  long  enough 
to  bring  out  the  details  of  the  foreground  we  find  we 
have  over-printed  the  sky.  Sometimes  we  find  the 
reverse,  the  top  of  the  negative  prints  slower  than  the 
foreground.  This  can  be  remedied  in  several  ways.  If 
the  dividing  line  between  is  straight,  we  can  cover  the 
portion  which  prints  too  quickly  with  tissue  paper  or 
matt  varnish.     Matt  varnish  is  prepared  as  follows.* 


96  MODERN    PHOTOGRAPHY 

Sandarac 140  grs.     1     Ether 7  oz3. 

Gum  Mastic 3ogrs.     I     Benzole ij^  ozs. 

Dissolve  the  sandarac  and  mastic  in  the  ether  and  then 
add  the  benzole.  FiUer  through  mush'n  before  using. 
This  preparation  should  not  be  used  close  to  a  lamp  or 
gas  flame,  as  it  is  highly  combustible.  The  matt  varn;^ll 
is  never  applied  to  the  film,  but  always  to  the  glass  side 
(,f  the  negative.  The  plate  should  be  held  in  the  left 
hand  in  a  horizontal  position,  glass  side  up  and  the  var- 
nish poured  in  the  center  of  the  plate.  Then  tilt  the 
plate  from  one  side  to  the  other  until  the  varnish  runs  to 
all  sides  of  it   but  do  not  allow  it  to  drip  over  the  sides. 

When  the  plate  has  been  covered  entirely,  turn  it  en 
end,  in  a  vertical  position,  putting  one  corner  of  the  plate 
in  the  mouth  of  the  bottle  so  that  all  surplus  varnish 
will  run  into  the  bottle.  When  the  plate  has  been  well 
drained,  allow  the  varnish  to  dry  and  it  can  then  be 
scraped  away  from  that  portion  of  the  negative  which 
prints  slowly  and  allowed  to  cover  the  back  of  that  por- 
tion which  prints  too  rapidl}'. 

It  sometimes  happens,  that  an  otherwise  good  negative 
has  a  poor  sky  or  that  that  portion  of  the  negative  has 
met  with  some  accident.  In  such  an  event  the  sky  can 
be  blanked  out  entirely  as  mentioned  in  the  last  chapter 
in  the  case  of  blisters  and  the  sky  from  another  nega- 
tive printed  in.  This  would  be  easy  to  accomplish  with 
a  piece  of  black  paper  if  the  sky  line  was  a  straight  one, 
but   it    often    happens    that    trees,    houses    and    church 


IN    THEORY    AND    PRACTICE.  97 

Steeples  encroach  into  the  sky,  thus  making  the  line 
irregular.  To  blank  out  in  such  a  case,  use  a  fine 
pointed  pen  (those  known  as  crow  quills  and  sold  by 
artists'  supply  houses,  are  best)  and  black  varnish  or 
India  ink,  mixed  with  white  of  egg'  The  negative 
should  be  placed  on  the  retouching  stand  with  the  sky 
downward  and  the  film  side  towards  you.  Charge  the 
pen  by  means  of  a  brush  and  go  carefully  around  the 
outlines  of  the  picture  where  it  merges  into  the  sky. 
Care  must  be  exercised  not  to  run  the  line  over  the 
picture  but  this  can  easily  be  avoided.  When  the 
outline  has  been  completed  with  the  pen,  take  a  small, 
fine-pointed  brush  and  follow  this  line  but  not  lapping  it 
and  you  will  then  have  a  broad  line  separating  the 
picture  from  the  sky.  You  can  now  use  a  larger  brush 
and  blank  out  the  balance  of  the  sky.  When  dry  the 
negative  is  ready  to  print  and  when  printed  the  result- 
ing picture  will  have  a  perfectly  plain  white  sky,  on 
which  can  be  printed  any  sky  effect  desired  with  another 
negative. 

Retouching  is  seldom  practiced  by  amateur  photog- 
raphers and  as  a  rule  when  they  have  work  of  this  class 
they  usually  give  it  out  to  the  professional.  In  fact, 
retouching  is  an  art  in  itself  and  it  is  not  every  profes- 
sional who  can  do  it  properly.  To  be  a  good  retoucher 
you  must  be  something  more  than  a  good  photographer, 
you  must  be  an  artist.  It  is  the  act  by  which,  as  a  rule, 
the  photographer  flatters  his  patron.     By  its  means  he 


98 


MODERN    PHOTOGRAPHY 


removes  the  wrinkles,  freckles,  crows'  feet,  moles  and 
other  distinguishing  marks  but  at  the  same  time  unfor- 
tunately destroys  the  likeness.  Retouching  is  almost 
wholly  applied  to  portraits,  although  now  and  then  a 
marine  or  landscape  negative  may  be  improved  in  some 
of  its  details  by  judicious  re- 
touching. It  is  an  art  which 
can  only  be  acquired  by 
assiduous  practice  and  no 
amount  of  cut  and  dried  rules 
will  make  a  first  class  re- 
toucher. When  working  on 
portraits  great  care  must  be 
exercised  not  to  overdo  it  or 
the  result  will  be  a  failure  so 
fai  as  the  likeness  is  con- 
cerned. In  portraits  of  el- 
derly people  the  retouching 
should  be  confined  to  the  shadows  on  the  face  and  no 
attempt  should  be  made  to  remove  the  wrinkles  and 
crows'  feet  at  the  corners  of  the  eyes. 

The  first  requisite  is  a  retouching  stand  of  some  kind. 
This  can  be  purchased  from  a  photographic  supply 
house  or  the  amateur  can  make  one  himself  if  he  is  at  all 
ingenious  and  handy  with  tools.  Fig.  29  illustrates  a 
home-made  retouching  stand  which  is  very  easily  made. 
It  consists  of  three  small,  cheap  frames.  Two  of  the^e 
frames  are   hinged  together  at  the   front  and  the  third. 


IN    THEORY    AND    PRACTICE.  99 

which  is  smaller  than  the  others,  is  pivoted  to  the  hori- 
zontal one.  The  smaller  frame  holds  a  mirror,  or  a  piece 
of  white  cardboard  will  do.  The  horizontal  frame  has 
four  feet  to  raise  it  from  the  table  to  give  room  for  the 
mirror  to  swing.  The  other  large  frame  is  placed  at  an 
angle  of  about  45°  but  the  angle  may  be  varied  by 
means  of  the  adjustable  foot  at  the  side.  In  this  upper 
frame  is  placed  a  piece  of  ground  glass  on  which  the 
negative  lies.  A  piece  of  plain  glass  could  be  used  instead 
of  ground  glass  and  it  could  be  covered  on  the  back 
with  matt  varnish.  Just  below  the  negative  is  a  flat 
wooden  support  which  holds  the  negative  in  position  and 
the  support  may  be  raised  or  lowered  according  to  the 
size  or  part  of  the  negative  that  is  being  worked  upon. 
This  adjustment  is  made  easy  by  boring  a  number  ot 
small  holes  in  each  side  of  the  front  and  holding  the  sup- 
port in  position  by  means  of  wooden  pins  which  fit  in 
these  holes.  Attached  to  the  upper  frame  is  still  another 
one,  made  of  heavy  wire  and  pivoted,  so  it  can  be  raised 
or  lowered.  This  wire  frame  acts  as  a  support  for  the 
focusing  cloth  or  a  piece  of  black  cambric  which  shuts 
out  all  light  except  that  which  comes  in  through  the 
ground  glass. 

The  stand  being  ready,  the  film  side  of  the  negative 
is  lightly  rubbed  with  retouching  varnish  as  explained 
when  spotting  out.  When  the  varnish  is  dry  the  plate  is 
placed  on  the  ground  glass  with  the  film  side  out  and  the 
support  adjusted  so  the  negative  is  about  central.     Two 


TOO  MODERN     PHOTOGRAPHY 

or  three  hard  pencils  should  be  purchased,  preferably  H, 
HH  and  HHH.  These  should  be  sharpened  to  a  long 
taper  point  and  the  final  point  should  be  put  on  them  by 
means  of  a  piece  of  fine  emery  paper.  The  emerv  paper 
should  be  glued  to  a  sm.all  piece  of  board  and  kept  on 
the  table  close  to  the  retouching  stand,  for  the  points  of 
the  pencils  must  be  kept  needle  sharp  and  constant  appli- 
cation to  the  emery  paper  must  be  made.  In  sharpen- 
ing, keep  the  pencil  turning  in  the  fingers  and  the  fine 
point  is  easily  secured  Take  a  piece  of  black  paper, 
such  as  plates  are  packed  in  in  their  boxes  and  trimming 
it  to  the  size  of  your  negative  or  a  little  larger,  cut  a 
round  hole  in  it  near  the  center  and  about  three-quarters 
of  an  inch  in  diameter.  Place  the  screen  over  your 
negative  so  the  circular  hole  will  come  over  that  por- 
tion which  you  are  about  to  retouch.  This  screen  has 
two  uses,  one  to  cut  off  all  light  except  at  the  point  at 
which  you  wish  to  work  and  the  other  to  keep  the 
fingers  and  hand  from  coming  in  contact  with  the  film. 
The  latter  is  quite  necessary,  particularly  in  summer 
when  the  hands  are  liable  to  perspire.  The  angle  of 
the  mirror  or  the  frame  may  be  shifted  so  as  to  throw 
the  light  directly  on  the  ground  glass.  Retouching 
may  be  done  at  night  by  means  of  artificial  light  by 
placing  the  stand  so  that  the  mirror  will  reflect  the 
light.  If  done  in  the  daytime  the  operator  should 
face  a  window,  a  north  light  being  preferable.  A 
strong  reading     glass    will     be  of     great     assistance    lu 


IN    THEORY    AND    PRACTICE, 


lOI 


retouching,  as  the  hnes    and  dots  should  be  very   fine 
and  the  work  is  very  fatiguing  on  the  eyes.. 

Another  very  simple  retouching  stand  is  shown  in  Fig. 
30  and  it  can  easily  be  made  by  any  one.  Its  general 
shape    is    that    of    a    truncated  pyramid.      The    top  A 

should  be  made  of 
tin  or  zinc  and  the 
sides  B  and  C  can 
be  made  of  light 
wood,  tar  board  or 
any  other  suitable 
material.  Four 
pieces  of  tar  board 
joined  at  the  edges 
by  gluing  on  strips 
of  black  muslin,  will 
answer  very  well.  In  one  side  should  be  cut  an  open- 
ing, say  5x8  inches,  as  shown  at  B  and  in  the  opening 
should  be  fitted  a  piece  of  ground  glass.  In  the  center  is 
placed  a  small  lamp  which  will  illuminate  the  negative. 
A  small  projection  should  be  glued  on  just  under  the 
ground  glass,  on  which  to  rest  the  negative. 

As  we  said  before,  retouching  can  only  be  acquired 
by  practice  but  a  few  hints  may  be  of  value  to  the  ama- 
teur who  proposes  to  try  his  hand  on  this  work. 
Each  retoucher  has  his  favorite  method  of  working. 
Some  use  small  stipples  and  commas,  others  use  wavy 
hair-Uke  lines  and  others  employ  both  on  one  negative. 


Fig  30. 


I02 


MODERN    PHOTOGRAPHY 


Fig.  31    is  an   illustration    made  from  a  photograph 
before  it  was  retouched,  Fig.  33  was  made  from  a  print 


Fig.  3'- 


from  the  same  negative  after  it  was  retouched,  and  Fig. 
32  gives  a  general   idea  of  where  the  retouching  was 


IN  THEORY  AND  PRACTICE. 


103 


done.     Fig.  32  is  only  a  reproduction  of  the  retouching 
lines  as  near  as  an  artist  could  follow  them  with  pen  and 


Fig.  32. 


ink  and  in  the  original  of  course  the  lines  were  much 
finer   and    blended    into    one    another.     In    nearly   all 


I04 


MODERN    PHOTOGRAPllV 


instances  the  retoucher  works  with  the  extreme   point 
of  the  pencil,  holding  it  at  right  angles  to   the  plate. 


f<^-  33. 


This  negative  was  retouched  by  a  professional  and  you 
will  note  that  comparatively  little  retouching  has  been 


m   THEORY    AND    PRACTICE.  IO5 

done,  in  fact  just  enough  to  even  up  the  Hghting  of  the 
face.  In  Fig.  31  you  will  note  that  a  straggling  lock  of 
hair  has  escaped  from  the  hat  and  the  retoucher  has 
removed  it,  so  that  it  does  not  show  in  Fig.  33.  These 
illustrations  being  made  by  the  half-tone  process  much 
of  the  detail  is  lost  and  the  difference  in  the  illustrations 
is  not  so  marked  as  it  is  in  the  photographs.  Sometimes 
the  retoucher  applies  the  plumbago  by  means  of  the 
finger  tip  or  with  a  stump,  such  as  is  used  in  crayon  and 
pastel  work.  This  is  only  done  where  larger  surfaces 
require  lighting  up.  It  is  well  for  the  amateur  to  work 
slowly,  taking  a  proof  of  his  negative  now  and  then  to 
see  what  effect  his  work  has  produced.  If  the  retouch- 
ing shows  in  the  print  or  is  not  satisfactory,  it  can  be 
removed  by  means  of  a  soft  rag  dipped  in  turpentine. 
Above  all,  avoid  doing  too  much  retouching;  soften  down 
the  harsh  lines  usually  found  on  each  side  of  the  nose 
and  soften  up  the  dark  side  of  the  face  (the  side  that  is 
light  in  the  negative)  just  enough  to  bring  the  two  sides 
in  harmony.  After  the  retouching  is  to  your  satisfaction, 
it  is  well  to  varnish  the  negative  in  order  that  the  retouch- 
ing shall  not  become  blurred  through  handling.  The 
varnishing  and  general  care  of  negatives  will  be  described 
later  on. 


CHAPTER  X. 


Having  passed  through  the  various  stages  and 
exposed,  developed,  fixed  and  washed  our  negative  and 
remedied  any  slight  imperfections  in  it,  we  are  now 
ready  to  consider  one  of  the  most  important  stages  of 
picture  making,  that  of  printing  and  toning.  It  is  one  of 
the  most  important  because,  although  we  may  have 
succeeded  in  securing  a  most  admirable  negative,  that  is 

no  guarantee  that  we  shall 
have  a  beautiful  picture, 
as  much  depends  on  the 
paper  used,  the  quality  of 
the  printing  and  the  suc- 
cess in  toning. 

Before  starting  our 
printing,  we  must  have  a 
suitable  device  for  holding 
the  paper  and  plate  in 
close  contact.  Such  a  device  is  known  as  a  printing 
frame  and  is  illustrated  in  Fig.  34.  These  frames  are 
comparatively  cheap  and  the  amateur  should  have  at 
least  four  of  them,  for  it  is  not  every  day  that  you  can 
print  and  as  the  average  amateur  will  have  to  do  his 
printing  on  holidays  or  outside  of  business  hours,  it  will 
be   found  advantageous  to   keep  four  frames  going  at 

106 


Fig.  34. 


IN    THEORY    AND    PRACTICE.  lO^ 

one  time.  If  your  plates  are  4x5  we  should  advise  the 
purchase  of  three  frames  of  this  size  and  the  fourth  one 
say  8x10.  Our  reason  for  so  advising  is  that  you  may 
desire  to  put  a  4x5  view  in  the  middle  of  an  8x10  sheet 
and  to  do  this  you  must  have  an  8x10  frame. 

The  negative  is  laid  in  the  printing  frame  film  side  up, 
the  printing  paper  is  laid  upon  it  film  or  sensitive  side 
down,  so  that  the  sensitive  side  of  the  paper  shall  come 
in  contact  with  the  film  side  of  the  plate.  There  will 
be  no  difficulty  in  determining  which  is  the  sensitive  side 
of  the  paper.  The  cover  of  the  printing  frame  is  then 
laid  upon  the  paper,  the  springs  depressed  and  moved 
from  right  to  left  as  the  case  may  be,  until  they  come 
under  the  metal  catches  on  the  edge  of  the  frame,, thus 
holding  the  paper  in  perfect  contact  with  the  negative. 
Before  placing  the  paper  in  position  however,  it  is  abso- 
lutely necessary  that  all  dust  be  removed  from  the  face 
of  the  negative.  This  may  be  done  by  means  of  a 
camel's  hair  brush,  as  we  did  when  we  loaded  our  plate 
holders,  but  as  in  that  instance,  we  must  also  here  be 
careful  not  to  brush  the  film  too  vigorously,  or  we  will 
electrofy  the  plate  and  thus  cause  the  small  particles  of 
dust  which  are  ever  floating  in  the  atmosphere  to  be 
attracted  to  it.  In  order  to  overcome  this  obstacle,  some 
photographers  undertake  to  free  the  plate  from  dust  by 
blowing  upon  it  with  their  mouth.  This  is  a  dangerous 
practice,  either  when  loading  plate  holders  or  when  pre- 
paring to  print,  for  small  particles  of  saliva  are  very  apt 


io8 


MODERN  PHOTOGRAPHY 


to  accompany  the  breath  and  bespatter  the  face  of  the 
negative,  which  will  cause  the  film  on  the  paper  to  be 
cemented  to  the  face  of  the  plate.  A  far  better  practice 
in  dusting  plates  is  to  use  a  bulb  similar  to  those  which 
operate  the  shutter  in  hand  cameras,  though  those  a  little 
larger  in  size  will   be  found   preferable. 

Fig.  35  illustrates  such  a  bulb  fitted  with  a  short  pipe 
made  of  lead.     This  pipe  being  heavy,  prevents  the  bulb 

from  rolling  around  when 
laid  down.  By  compressing 
the  bulb  a  strong  current  of 
air  can  be  directed  all  over 
the  plate,  effectually  remov- 
ing all  particles  which  ma}' 
be  resting  upon  it.    This  bulb 

will  also  be  found  useful  for 

^'^  ^^-  cleaning  the  plate  holders  and 

the  camera,  for  the  current  of  air  can  be  directed  into 
corners  and  out  of  the  way  places  which  cannot  be 
reached  by  the  brush. 

Having  placed  the  paper  in  the  frame  we  now  turn 
the  latter  upside  down  and  by  means  of  a  handkerchief 
or  a  piece  of  clean  cloth,  we  proceed  to  clean  the  glass 
side  of  the  negative.  This  is  done  most  effectively  by 
bieathing  upon  the  glass  and  then  rubbing  it  vigorously. 
Sometimes  the  emulsion  gets  spattered  on  the  glass  side 
of  the  negatixe  and  this  will  have  to  be  removed  with  a 
knife,  as  it  adheres  very  firmly. 


IN    THEORY    AND    PRACTICE.  lOp 

Printing,  as  a  rule,  should  alwa3's  be  done  in  the  shade, 
aUhough  it  is  often  done  in  the  bright  sunlight.  Prints 
made  in  the  shade  have  more  vigor  and  contrast  than 
those  made  in  the  sun  and  the  film  on  the  paper  is  less 
liable  to  become  brittle  and  crack  when  handled  in  the 
subsequent  operations  of  washing,  toning  and  fixing 
As  a  rule  printing  should  be  done  in  the  open  air  and  a 
small  platform  on  the  window  sill  can  very  easily  be  fitted 
for  this  purpose.  During  bright  weather  a  north  window 
should  be  used  but  if  the  day  be  cloudy  a  south  expos- 
ure is  preferable.  The  frame  should  be  placed  with  the 
negative  turned  towards  the  sky  and  care  must  be  exer- 
cised that  no  shadow  from  the  roof  or  trees  fall  upon  the 
glass.  The  print  may  be  examined  from  time  to  time  by 
releasing  one  spring  and  half  of  the  cover  and  raising 
the  print  from  the  negative.  The  depth  to  which  we 
shall  print  must  be  governed  entirely  by  the  paper  we 
are  using. 

Printing  papers  are  divided  into  two  separate  and  dis- 
tinct kinds,  known  as  "  printing  out  "  and  "  developing 
papers."  In  the  former  the  image  is  visible  on  the  paper 
in  a  very  short  time  after  it  has  been  exposed  to  the 
light  but  in  the  latter  the  image  is  either  very  faint 
indeed,  or  is  not  visible  at  all  until  after  development. 
Plain  silver  papers,  blue  prints,  albumen,  gelatine  and 
collodion  papers  belong  to  the  first  type  and  they  are 
are  printed  until  the  image  is  fully  as  strong  or  stronger 
than  required  in  the   finished   print.       Bromide,  Velox, 


110  MODERN    PHOTOGRAPHY 

and  other  papers  of  this  type  belong  to  the  second  class 
and  no  image  appears  on  them  until  after  development. 
Bromide  papers  must  only  be  handled  in  the  red  light 
of  the  dark  room  as  they  are  very  sensitive.  They  are 
usually  printed  by  artificial  light,  although  printing  may 
be  affected  by  a  very  short  exposure  to  subdued  natural 
light.  Even  printing  out  papers  should  not  be  exposed 
except  in  subdued  light  until  after  they  have  been 
placed  in  the  printing  frame. 

Printing  frames  should  never  be  placed  inside  a  window 
until  after  the  glass,  both  inside  and  outside  has  been 
thoroughly  cleaned,  for  any  splashes  of  dirt  upon  the 
window  glass  will  shade  the  light  from  that  portion 
of  the  print  and  the  result  will  be  a  light  patch  on 
the  print. 

There  is  an  old  adage  which  says,  "  Cleanliness  is 
next  to  godliness"  and  equally  true  is  it  m  photography 
that  cleanliness  is  next  to  success.  One  of  the  most 
important  things  to  be  clean  with  in  photography  is  the 
trays  used  in  the  toning  room.  Trays  can  be  bought  of 
any  size  and  of  all  kinds,  from  your  dealer,  at  reason- 
able prices  and  there  is  no  excuse  for  having  bad  trays. 
Bad  trays  are  very  expensive  things  and  cause  the 
loss  of  many  dollars  worth  of  time  and  stock.  Trays 
should  always  be  large  enough  to  enable  one  to  wash 
prints  without  tearing.  All  trays  should  be  thoroughly 
cleaned  before  using,  by  scouring  with  bicarbonate  of 
soda  and  rinsing  well  with  clear  water. 


IN   THEORY   AND    PRACTICE.  Hi 

Aristo  Papers. 

The  various  printing  out  papers  manufactured  by  tht 
American  Aristotype  Company,  Jamestown,  N.  Y.  and 
generally  known  as  Aristo,  are  pure  collodion  papers. 
Papers  of  this  class  have  a  tendency  to  curl  as  soon  as 
they  are  placed  in  w^ater  and  a  hint  as  to  how  to  prevent 
this  may  be  timely  at  this  juncture. 

A  large,  smooth- bottomed  tray  is  used  and  about  one- 
half  inch  of  water  placed  in  it.  The  prints  are  now 
taken  and  placed  in  this  water  one  at  a  time  by  sliding 
them  in,  one  on  top  of  the  other  and  keeping  them 
flat  on  the  bottom.  Be  sure  a  print  is  thoroughly 
wet  before  another  is  placed  on  top  of  it.  The  prints 
should  not  be  placed  in  the  tray  in  a  regular  pile,  as  this 
allows  the  edges  to  curl  over  each  other  but  should  be 
piled  irregularly  well  over  the  bottom  of  tray,  partially 
covering  one  another.  After  all  prints  are  in,  pour  off 
water  and  put  on  fresh  water;  keep  prints  flat  and  rock 
the  tray  for  five  minutes  (this  will  prevent  red  streaks). 
Pour  off  water  and  press  them  down  with  the  flat  of  the 
hand,  allowing  all  the  water  to  drain  out.  Now,  stand 
the  tray  on  edge  and  allow  the  prints  to  drain  for  five 
minutes.  Then  pour  plenty  of  water  over  them  and 
proceed  to  wash  by  separating  the  prints  and  handling 
them  over  and  over. 

The  reason  why  collodion  paper  curls  toward  the  film 
m  the  water  is  because  the  paper  which  is  coated  swells 


TI2  MODERN    PHOTOGRAPHY 

as  soon  as  it  is  wet  and  the  film  does  not.  If  the  print, 
when  first  placed  in  the  water,  is  held  flat,  then  the  paper 
swells  in  thickness  only  and  if  the  print  is  kept  flat 
until  the  paper  is  thoroughly  soaked  in  this  position,  it 
will  remain  flat  during  the  entire  manipulation.  There- 
fore it  is  important  to  keep  the  prints  flat  in  the  first 
water.  In  summer  use  tap  water  and  in  winter  temper 
water,  so  it  will  be  pleasant  for  the  hands  to  work  in, 
say,  65  to  70  degrees. 

Toning  Blue  Label  and  Junior  Aristo. 

Print  about  two  shades  darker  than  desired  when 
finished.  Flatten  the  prints  as  directed  for  collodion 
paper  and  then  wash  through  six  changes  of  clear  water, 
handling  the  prints  over  each  time,  then  tone  in  the  fol- 
lowing bath: 

Water 60  oz.     I     Sat.  Solution  Acetate  Soda — V4  oz. 

Salt 6ogr.      '      Chloride  of  Gold i  dram. 

Sal  Soda  or  Borax,  enough  to  turn  red  litmus  paper  blue  in  4  or  5  minutes. 

Make  this  bath  up  from  one  to  two  hours  before  use. 
Add  gold  enough  to  keep  speed  of  bath  six  or  eight 
minutes.  Tone  in  this  bath  to  any  point  you  desire 
prints  when  finished.  After  toning,  place  in  clear  water- 
When  ready  to  fix,  rinse  thoroughly  through  two  clear 
waters.  Fix  in  plain  hypo,  fifteen  grains  hydrometer 
test,  for  fifteen  minutes,  wash  one  hour  in  running  water. 
Mount  with  any  good  fresh  paste  and  lay  out  to  dry 
quickly.     In   cold   weather  always  temper   all  water  to 


IN    THEORY    AND    PRACTICE.  II3 

about  sixty-five  or  seventy  degrees.  The  salt  in  the 
toning  bath  restrains  the  high  lights  from  overtoning 
and  brings  the  high  lights  and  shadows  up  clear  at  the 
same  time,  also  saving  the  fine  detail  in  white  drapery. 
If  you  are  not  using  it,  try  it  and  you  will  not  be  with- 
out it  Acetate  of  soda  is  a  neutral  salt  and  you  need 
not  be  afraid  that  it  wall  make  bath  alkaline.  Muddy 
shadows  and  yellow  whites  and  lack  of  brilliancy  mean 
that  your  bath  is  too  alkaline.  Blue  edges  to  the  vig- 
nettes and  bleaching  in  toning  bath,  signify  an  acid 
bath.     Remedy,  add  a  few  drops  of  alkali. 

Double  Toning. 

Aristo  platino  paper  should  be  printed  plain,  as  a  gen- 
eral thing.  Print  until  the  high  lights  are  well  tinted. 
Pay  no  attention  to  the  shadows,  no  matter  how  much 
they  bronze.  Wash  through  six  changes  of  clear  water, 
handling  prints  over  each  time.  In  washing  paper,  there 
are  two  things  we  must  eliminate,  the  free  silver  and  the 
keeping  chemicals  and  unless  prints  are  thoroughly 
prepared  for  toning,  they  will  not  tone  thoroughly  and 
evenly. 

When  prints  are  thoroughly  washed,  tone  in  the  fol- 
lowing bath,  to  a  purple,  not  a  blue: 

Water 60  oz. 

Salt. 60  gr. 


Chloride  of  Gold i  dram. 

Borax  enough  to  turn  red  litmus  pa- 
per blue  in  3  or  4  minutes. 


The  gold  toning  bath  should  be  made  up  from  one  to 
two  hours  before   use.     Add   enough  gold  so  the  bath 


114  MODERN    PHOTOGRAPHY 

will  tone  in  from  six  to  eight  minutes.  Do  not  run  the 
bath  too  strong,  as  the  print  will  tone  before  the  whites 
clear  up.  If  prints  show  bleaching  in  the  whites,  add  a 
little  more  alkali.  An  acid  toning  bath  bleaches  out  the 
detail  in  the  whites  and  also  makes  pink  whites  in  the 
finished  print.  If  the  bath  is  too  strong  in  alkali  it  gives 
yellow  whites. 

The  character  of  platinum  tones  is  controlled  in  the 
gold  bath.  If  prints  are  taken  from  the  gold  hatha  cho- 
colate brown,  they  will  make  beautiful  olive  tones. 
Prints  toned  to  a  purple  will  make  black  tones  and  prints 
toned  to  a  blue  will  make  blue-black  tones.  By  bearing 
!his  in  mind,  it  is  possible  to  get  any  tone  desired. 
Always,  in  every  case,  tone  far  enough  in  the  gold  bath 
io  thoroughly  clear  the  whites.  After  toning,  throw 
prints  into  the  clear  water  until  all  are  toned. 

Wash  prints  in  three  changes  of  clear  water  by 
handling  them  over.  Do  not  try  to  wash  by  placing  in 
running  water.  It  will  not  do  it.  It  is  very  important 
to  wash  prints  thoroughly  after  they  come  from  the  gold 
bath,  to  remove  any  free  gold  that  may  be  on  the  prints, 
as  gold  precipitates  platinum  and  unless  prints  are  well 
washed,  the  platinum  will  be  precipitated  on  the  bottom 
of  the  tray  and  not  on  the  print.  Again,  never  use  the 
regular  gold  toning  tray  for  platinum  bath,  as  all  such 
trays  have  more  or  less  gold  deposited  on  bottom  and 
sides  and  this  will  precipitate  your  platinum  also.  It 
will  not  only   waste  platinum  but   prints  toned  through 


IN    THEORY    AND    PRACTICE.  I  I  5 

both  baths  in  the  same  tray  will  tone  down  to  a  muddy 
blue-black  and  if  kept  in  long  enough,  the  whites  turn 
yellow. 

The  Platinum  Toning. 

When  prints  are  washed,  tone  in  the  following  bath: 
Water,  sixty  ounces;  platinum,  three  to  five  drams.  Add 
platinum  enough  to  keep  speed  of  bath  from  eight  to  fif- 
teen minutes.  The  great  mistake  that  photographers 
have  made  in  toning  Aristo-Platino  with  platinum  is, 
they  have  not  toned  long  enough  in  the  plat- 
inutn  bath.  When  prints  first  go  into  this  bath,  the 
whites  become  muddy  but  in  a  short  time  the  whites 
commence  to  clear  up  and  by  keeping  prints  in  this  bath 
until  the  whites  are  thoroughly  clear  and  every  trace  of 
brown  or  purple  is  out  of  the  deepest  shadows,  by 
looking  through  the  print  you  will  get  most  beautiful 
effects.  Do  not  be  afraid  of  leaving  them  in  the  platinum 
bath  until  the  desired  color  and  richness  you  wish  is 
obtained. 

When  prints  come  out  of  the  platinum  bath,  it  is  very 
important  to  wash  them  thoroughly  through  three  changes 
of  water  before  fixing,  because  the  platinum  bath  is  ex- 
tremely acid  and  it  is  absolutely  necessary  to  wash  it 
out  of  the  prints.  If  you  do  not,  you  carry  it  into  the 
hypo  and  produce  sulphuration  and  yellow  whites. 
This  is  the  reason  that  all  hypo  baths  containing 
lots  of    alum  or  acid  hardeners  are  dangerous,  as  this 


Il6  MODERN    PHOTOGRAPHY 

atid  releases  the  sulphur  in  the  hypo  and  produces  sul- 
phuration  in  the  print  that  will  ruin  them  sooner  or 
later. 

After  prints  are  washed,  fix  in  plain  h3po,  eighteen 
grains  strong,  hydrometer  test,  for  fifteen  minutes  and 
then  wash  by  hand  through  two  or  three  changes  of 
water  before  placing  them  in  running  water  one  hour. 
Always  mount  with  good  fresh  paste  and  lay  out  to  dry 
quickly.  When  dry  run  through  a  cold  roll  burnisher,  if 
you  have  one,  to  straighten  mount.  One-half  the  old 
platinum  bath  with  one-half  fresh  bath  added  and  used 
over  the  next  time,  makes  richer  tones  than  a  new  bath. 

Any  red  spots  on  platino  paper  can  be  removed  by  rub- 
bing some  of  the  stock  platinum  solution  on  the  spot  with 
the  finger  as  tne  print  goes  in  the  platinum  bath.  The 
spot  darkens  and  the  rest  of  print  tones  up  to  it.  There 
is  no  necessity  for  losing  prints  from  red  spots. 

Sepia  Tones  on  Platino. 

No.  I.  To  make  sepia  tones,  print  about  two  shades 
darker  than  desired  when  finished.  Wash  through  two 
changes  of  clear  water.  Then  place  prints  in  a  strong 
salt  solution,  two  ounces  of  salt  to  a  gallon  of  water. 
Keep  in  salt  water  for  five  minutes  until  they  redden  up. 
Then  wash  through  two  more  changes  of  clear  water  and 
tone  in  the  following  bath: 

Water to  oz. 

Chloride  of  Gold 14  dram.- 

Sal  Soda  enough  to  make  red  litmus  paper  turn  blue  in  ten  minutes. 


IN    THEORY    AND    PRACTICE.  II7 

Work  this  balh  just  slightly  alkaline.  Just  clear  the 
whites  and  place  in  stop  solution  of  salt  water  and  fix  in 
ten  grain  hypo  bath  (to  which  add  a  handful  of  salt)  for 
fifteen  minutes.  If  prints  look  yellow  in  fixing  bath,  they 
will  come  out  all  right  in  the  washing  and  drying. 

No.  2.  Print  about  two  shades  darker  than  desired 
when  toned.  Wash  through  five  changes  of  clear  water 
and  tone  in  a  plain  gold  bath. 

Water 6ooz. 

Chloride  of  Gold \^  dram. 

Work  this  bath  just  slightly  acid.  Keep  prints  in  the 
bath  just  long  enough  to  clear  the  whites,  then  place  in 
clear  water  and  wash  through  one  water.  To  the  same 
gold  bath,  add  another  half  dram  of  gold.  Now  add 
alkali  enough  to  turn  red  litmus  paper  blue  in  a  couple 
of  minutes.  Place  prints  back  in  this  bath  and  tone  the 
shadows  to  the  point  you  desire  when  finished.  When 
toned,  place  in  clear  water  and  fix  in  a  plain  hypo  bath 
twelve  grains  strong  for  fifteen  minutes.  All  paper  for 
sepia  tones  should  be  at  least  30  days  old. 
Double  Toning  Troubles. 

Pink  whites  are  caused  by  not  having  the  gold  bath 
alkaline  enough.  Yellow  whites  may  come  from  prints  not 
being  toned  far  enough  in  the  gold  bath.  Yellow  whites 
may  come  from  trying  to  wash  prints  in  running  water, 
between  gold  and  platinum  baths  or  between  platinum 
bath  and  hypo.  This  will  not  do.  Prints  must  be  washed 
by  hand  and  the  water  changed. 


Il8  MODERN    PHOTOGRAPHY 

Weak  looking  prints  very  often  come  from  not  print- 
ing dark  enough.  Try  three  prints,  one  as  you  have 
been  printing,  the  second  a  shade  darker,  the  third  darker 
still;  tone  them  all  out,  select  the  best  and  you  have  the 
depth  to  print.  Weak  looking  prints  more  often  come 
from  improper  toning  in  the  gold  bath  than  any  other 
cause.  Always  tone  in  the  gold  bath  until  the  shadows 
are  a  warm  brown  (for  olive  tones).  If  your  whites 
have  cleared  and  are  in  danger  of  bleaching,  add  more 
alkali  to  hold  back  the  whites  until  the  shadows  tone. 
Never  take  them  out  a  brick  red  in  the  shadows.  If 
you  do,  you  are  in  danger  of  having  weak,  muddy 
shadows  and  a  dirty  olive  tone  out  of  the  platinum  bath. 
If  you  desire  rich,  strong  shadows  out  of  the  platinum 
bath,  3'ou  must  have  .rich,  strong  shadows  out  of  the 
gold  bath.  Weak  shadows  are  also  caused  by  not  using 
the  salt  in  the  gold  bath. 

Slow  toning  in  platinum  bath  is  often  caused  by 
not  using  the  proper  kind  of  phosphoric  acid  in 
making  up  the  platinum  toning  solution.  Only  use  50 
per  cent  or  U.  S.  P.  phosphoric  acid.  You  cannot  be 
too  careful.  Too  slow  toning  in  the  platinum  bath  is 
very  often  caused  by  the  water  which  you  use,  for  very 
alkaline  water  precipitates  the  platinum.  See  remarks 
on  the  water  on  page  129.  Rubbed  places  on  the 
face  of  the  prints  which  do  not  show  until  the  prints 
are  dried,  are  caused  by  rubbing  the  face  of  the 
prints    on    the    bottom    of     the   tray    during     washing 


IN    THEORY    AND    PRACTICE.  Up 

and  toning.     When  you  have  this    trouble,  handle  the 
prints  face  up. 

Single  Toning. 

Many  photographers,  thinking  that  the  single  toner  is 
a  combined  bath,  in  which  prints  are  fixed  and  toned  at 
the  same  time,  have  condemned  it  without  a  trial.  This 
is  a  mistake,  as  prints  are  toned  first  and  then  fixed.  We 
will  try  and  briefly  explain  the  simplest  a«d  easiest 
manner  of  working  Aristo  Platino  and  Junior  in  the 
single  toner. 

The  printing  should  be  fully  as  dark  as  for  double  ton- 
ing; print  until  the  high  lights  are  well  tinted.  Pay 
no  attention  to  the  shadows,  no  matter  how  much  they 
bronze.  Too  light  printing  gives  weak  and  bleached 
looking  prints  when  finished.  Prints  should  be  washed 
in  eight  changes  of  clear  water  before  toning,  to  thor- 
oughly remove  all  free  silver.  Handle  prints  over  in 
each  wash  water;  letting  prints  lie  in  the  ruuing  water 
for  half  an  hour  without  handling  is  not  so  good,  as  some 
prints  will  not  thoroughly  wash. 

Toning  Bath. 

After  washing  tone  in  the  following  bath: 

Water 32  oz. 

Single  Toner 2  draniB. 

Platinum I  dram. 

Prints  should  be  toned  in  this  bath  until  all  trace  of 
of  red  has  disappeared  from  the  deepest  shadows.  If  the 
toning  is  not  carried  fully  this  far,  you  will  not  get  pure 
whites,  or  clear  shadows   but  prints  will  come  out  after 


I20  MODERN    PHOTOGRAPHY 

fixing  a  dirty,  muddy,  green  color,  with  no  brilliancy. 
Throw  prints  from  toning  bath  into  clear  water  until  all 
are  toned.  Then  wash  in  four  changes  of  clear  water, 
handling  prints  over  in  each  wash  water  to  thoroughly 
eliminate  all  acid  before  fixing.  Then  fix  in  a  plain 
hyposulphite  of  soda  bath,  eighteen  grains  strong  to  the 
ounce,  hydrometer  test,  for  twenty  minutes,  handling 
prints  during  fixing  to  insure  perfect  results.  After  fix- 
ing, wash  in  ten  to  fifteen  changes  of  clear  water,  or  one 
hour  in  running  water,  handling  prints  over  occasionally 
to  insure  thorough  washing. 

In  toning  Aristo  Junior  in  the  single  toner  for  olive- 
black  tones,  it  is  handled  just  the  same  as  Arigto  Platino, 
with  the  one  exception,  flattening  the  prints  in  the  first 
wash  water,  as  described  on  page  iii.  In  handling 
Aristo  Junior  and  toning  in  the  single  toner,  print  fully 
as  dark  as  for  Aristo  Platino.  The  prints  will  tone 
some  slower  than  Platino,  owing  to  the  heavier  gloss 
surface  but  when  finished  and  burnished  with  a  hot  bur- 
nisher, will  turn  a  beautiful,  rich,  olive-black  print,  equal 
to  any  gloss  carbon  made,  fully  as  permanent  and  much 
finer  than  any  gold  tone  print. 

Some  Things  to  Remember. 

I.  In  many  places  the  water  is  impure  and  red  spots 
make  their  appearance.  In  trouble  of  this  kind,  add  to 
every  gallon  of  the  first  wash  water,  three  ounces  of  a 
saturated  solution  of  sal  soda.     Handle  prints  over  in 


IN  THEORY  AND  PRACTICE.  121 

this  water  five  minutes.     It  will    do  very   little  good  in 
any  but  the  first  wash  water. 

2.  If  prints  when  put  into  the  toning  bath  Weach  or 
cut  out  the  high  lights,  spoiling  the  delicate  half  tones, 
the  addition  of  from  one  to  two  drams  of  platinum  solu- 
tion to  the  toning  bath  will  remedy  the  trouble. 

3.  Your  toning  bath  can  be  strengthened  by  add- 
ing two  drams  of  platinum  solution  and  one  dram  single 
toner,  always  watching  your  bath  to  see  that  it  is 
working  right. 

4.  When  bronzing  shows  in  the  shadows  after  prints 
are  finished,  the  best  remedy  found  is  the  sal  soda  in  the 
first  wash  water.  It  softens  the  emulsion  enough  to 
allow  the  silver  to  wash  out  more  freely  in  the  heavy 
shadows,  as  well  as  allowing  the  toning  bath  to  penetrate 
the  same  and  thus  remove  the  trouble. 

5.  The  best  results  are  obtained  by  using  fresh  toning 
bath  every  time.  In  no  case,  ever  use  more  than  one- 
third  old  bath  over. 

6.  To  remove  red  spots  on  prints  toned  with  single 
toner,  dilute  the  stock  single  toner  solution  with  equal 
parts  of  water  and  apply  to  spot,  but  not  until  print  is 
fully  toned. 

7.  Prints  should  be  thoroughly  washed  in  four  changes 
of  water  after  toning,  before  fixing,  as  the  toning  bath  is 
very  acid  and  if  this  is  carried  into  the  fixing  bath  it  is 
liable  to  cause  muddy  whites  and  prints  with  no  bril- 
liancy. 


122  MODERN    PHOTOGRAPHY 

8.  Never  use  the  platinum  tray  for  anything  but  single 
toner  and  platinum  toning. 

9.  All  wash  waters  and  toning  baths  should  be 
kept  in  a  temperature  of  65  or  70  degrees  during  cold 
weather. 

10.  Last  but  not  least,  use  judgment  in  all  your  work 
and  do  not  condemn  toning  solutions,  paper,  etc.,  just 
because  you  do  not  have  success  at  first;  remember  that 
others  are  working  them  successfully  and  you  should  be 
'ible  to  do  the  same. 

Gold  Toning  Baths. 

In  toning  in  the  gold  bath,  it  is  important  to  watch 
several  points.  One  is  to  see  that  the  high  lights  and 
shadows  are  both  toning  equally.  It  is  a  good  plan  to 
look  through  the  print  by  transmitted  light  and  if  you 
find  the  same  tone  as  appears  on  the  surface,  you  are 
toning  down  in  the  emulsion  and  your  tones  will  hold  in 
the  hypo  bath;  but  if  the  print  looks  purple  on  the  face 
and  when  you  look  through  it,  the  shadows  look  red, 
you  can  depend  upon  it  you  are  getting  a  surface  tone 
and  when  the  print  goes  into  the  hypo  the  surface  tone 
will  cut  off  and  you  will  have  the  tone  you  are  looking 
through.  The  reason  is,  you  have  not  washed  all  the 
free  silver  off  your  print.  Your  gold  is  depositing  in 
this  free  silver  and  when  the  print  goes  in  the  hypo 
bath,  the  free  silver  cuts  off  and  takes  your  tone  with 
it.     By  the  use  of  salt  in  your    gold    bath,  you  avoid 


IN    THEORY    AND   PRACTICE.  1 23 

this.  The  salt  also  restrains  the  high  lights  from  over- 
toning  and  enables  the  shadows  to  tone  up  at  the  same 
time.    The  salt  also  saves  the  fine  detail  in  white  drapery. 

Should  you  find,  in  toning,  your  whites  are  bleaching, 
it  is  because  your  bath  is  not  alkaline  enough,  so  add  a 
few  drops  of  alkali.  On  the  other  hand,  if  your  prints  re- 
fuse to  clear  up  and  tone  out  dead  and  flat,  it  is  because 
your  bath  is  too  alkaline,  in  which  case  add  a  little  acid 
gold  or  a  drop  of  citric  acid.  Intoning  Aristo  Platino pa- 
per, if  you  do  not  have  your  gold  bath  alkaline  enough, 
you  will  get  pink  whites  in  the  platinum  bath.  Always 
remember  that  pink  whites  mean  that  your  gold  bath 
was  not  alkaline  enough. 

It  is  impossible  to  give  the  exact  amount  of  alkali  to 
use.  Almost  all  waters  are  alkaline.  The  litmus  paper 
test  must  guide  you  in  this.  Study  and  test  the  water 
you  work  with  and  you  will  not  have  any  trouble  making 
nice  prints.  All  gold  baths  should  be  made  up  from  one 
to  two  hours  before  use  and  a  good  plan  is  to  make  up  a 
fresh  bath  for  next  time,  after  you  get  through  toning, 
only  adding  about  a  grain  of  gold  and  then  when  ready 
to  tone,  adding  the  gold  to  tone  with.  A  ripened  bath 
will  work  much  smoother  than  a  fresh  one.  Many  print- 
ers like  to  use  one-half  old  and  one-half  new  bath. 
Acetate  of  soda  will  not  have  any  effect  on  a  toning 
bath,  unless  added  one  hour  before  use.  Acetate  of  soda 
will  always  keep  your  tone  rich  and  brilliant.  In 
making  up  a  gold  bath,  remember  that  neutralizing  with 


124  MODERN    PHOTOGRAPHY 

sal  soda  gives  warm  tones,  borax  gives  brown  tones,  and 
bi  carbonate  soda  gives  purple  tones.  Borax  is  generally 
used  because  it  is  the  weakest  alkali  and  a  few  drops 
more  or  less  will  not  get  one  into  trouble  as  quickly  as 
the  stronger  sodas  do.  In  some  waters  it  is  best  to  use 
sal  soda  as  an  alkali  for  the  gold  bath,  as  borax  may 
give  muddy  shadows.  If  borax  is  found  to  give  this 
result,  you  should  try  sal  soda;  but  remember  that  sal 
soda  is  a  very  strong  alkali  and  should  be  used 
very  cautiously.  When  the  water  you  use  is  alkaline 
it  is  best  to  use  a  very  acid  gold  and  acidify  your 
toning  bath  first.  Then  add  borax  or  sal  soda  to  bring 
it  up  to  alkaline.  The  reason  for  this  is,  that  the 
alkali  found  in  the  water  is  a  lime  alkali  and  is  not  the 
proper  kind  of  alkali  to  use  and  will  not  give  you 
satisfactory  tones. 

Platinum  Toning  Bath. 

The  formula  gives  sixty  ounces  of  water  and  three  to 
five  drams  platinum  solution.  Of  course,  it  depends  on 
how  many  prints  there  are  to  tone.  So  the  best  formula 
to  follow  will  be  to  place  enough  water  in  the  tray  you 
expect  to  use  and  add  about  three  drams  of  platinum 
solution  to  start  on.  The  speed  of  this  bath  should  he 
from  eight  to  fifteen  minutes.  If  necessary  add  more 
platinum  until  you  get  it,  for  it  is  platinum  and  not  water 
that  tones.  A  print  slightly  toned  in  the  gold  bath  will 
take  more  time  and  platinum  to   tone   in  the  platinum 


IN  THEORY  AND  PRACTICE.  I25 

bath.  If  a  print  be  left  very  warm  in  the  gold  bath  and 
toned  hard  in  a  strong  platinum  bath,  it  will  be  a  strong 
olive,  as  overtoning  with  platinum  gives  greenish  or  olive- 
black.  If  you  tone  to  purple  and  deposit  a  good  lot 
of  gold  on  the  print,  it  takes  less  platinum  and  time 
to  tone  and  will  remain  a  pure  black.  Too  slow  toning 
in  the  platinum  bath  flattens  the  whites  and  has  a  ten=- 
dency  to  muddy  the  shadows.  The  platinum  bath  is  very 
acid.  Only  use  one-half  to  two-thirds  old  bath  over.  If 
you  use  all  the  old  bath  over  and  all  the  acid  is  left  in  the 
old  bath  and  you  keep  adding  fresh  platinum  solution, 
you  will  get  it  too  acid  and  are  in  danger  of  cutting  out 

your  prints. 

Hypo  Bath. 

In  makmg  up  the  hypo  bath,  always  use  the  hydrome- 
ter to  test  it.  For  Junior  and  Blue  Label  use  fifteen  grains 
hypo  and  fix  fifteen  minutes.  For  Platino  paper,  use 
eighteen  grains  hypo  bath.  If  you  wish  to  fix  Junior  and 
Platino  together,  make  the  hypo  bath  fifteen  grains 
strong  and  fix  fifteen  minutes.  A  thoroughly  fixed  print 
is  easily  washed;  but  too  long  fixing  is  as  bad  as  too 
little,  as  it  bleaches  your  prints  and  destroys  their 
brilliancy. 

Washing  Prints. 

After  all  prints  come  from  the  hypo  bath,  it  is  neces- 
sary to  handle  them  through  at  least  two  waters  by  hand, 
before  putting  them  in  running  water  or  the  washing 
box.     By  doing  this  you  wash  oft  the  surface  hypo  and 


126  MODERN     PHOTOGRAPHY 

also  little  air  bubbles  that  sometimes  fasten  themselves 
on  the  print  and  hold  the  hypo  under  them,  allowing  it  to 
go  on  bleaching,  thereby  getting  little  white  spots  on  the 
prints  when  they  came  from  the  wash  water,  that  were 
not  there  when  they  were  fixed.  After  two  waters  by 
hand,  one  hour  in  running  water,  or  ten  to  twelve  changes 
by  hand,  is  sufficient  washing. 

Red  spots  on  paper  can  come  from  a  number  of 
causes.  The  most  common  forms  are  finger  marks,  bub- 
bles and  preservative  chemicals  still  in  the  paper.  When 
from  finger  marks,  they  can  be  easily  recognized.  When 
the  spots  are  round  or  oblong  and  have  defined  edges, 
they  are  from  bubbles  and  can  be  avoided  by  sliding 
prints  in  the  first  water  and  knocking  them  off.  If  the 
red  spots  are  uneven  and  scattered  over  the  paper,  or 
if  the  prints  act  as  though  they  were  greasy  when  they 
are  in  the  washing  water,  the  trouble  comes  from  oil  or 
grease,  which  may  come  from  the  hands,  trays,  or  water. 
This  trouble  can  be  overcome  in  both  Platino  and  Junior 
paper  by  adding  three  ounces  saturated  solution  of  sal 
soda  to  the  first  water  prints  are  placed  in  (3  oz.  satura- 
ted solution  of  sal  soda  to  each  gallon  of  water),  hand- 
ling prints  over  in  this  water  for  five  minutes.  This  alkali 
cuts  off  all  oil  or  grease  on  the  printsand  neutralizes  the 
acid  preservative  chemicals  in  the  paper,  the  six  changes 
of  clear  water  afterwards  washing  out  all  traces  of  the 
alkali  and  bringing  your  prints  up  to  the  gold  bath  in  a 
perfectly  neutral  condition.     If  you  finfl  3  oz.  saturated 


IN   THEORY    AND    PRACTICE.  12^ 

solution  of  sal  soda  is  not  enough,  put  in  a  couple  more 
or  enough  to  do  the  work. 

When  paper  prints  brown  or  muddy-looking  in  the 
winter,  the  paper  is  too  fresh  and  should  be  put  in  a 
warm  place  (near  a  radiator)  for  a  few  days.  Paper 
treated  in  this  way  will  soon  print  a  rich  red  color. 
Fresh  paper  must  be  printed  darker  than  old  paper. 
When  paper  prints  a  weak  red  color  in  the  shadows 
during  cold  weather,  it  is  because  it  is  chilled  and  the 
chemical  action  does  not  take  place  freely.  Always 
print  in  a  warm  temperature  if  you  wish  the  best  results. 
In  the  winter,  paper  thirty  days  old  is  much  better  than 
very  fresh,  older  paper  giving  stronger  and  richer  prints 
than  fresh  paper.  Bronzing  in  the  shadows  is  generally 
caused  by  not  toning  the  shadows  properly  in  the  gold 
bath  first  and  not  far  enough  in  the  platinum  bath  after- 
wards. Blisters  are  caused  by  a  change  of  temperature 
in  the  baths  or  water  and  they  usually  come  in  the  hypo 
or  afterwards.  Adding  fresh  hypo  will  reduce  the 
temperature  of  the  water.  Putting  the  prints  in  cold 
hypo  bath  and  from  there  into  warmer  water  again 
is  what  brings  on  blisters.  It  can  be  helped  by  throw- 
ing prints  in  a  salt  water  bath  after  hypo,  but  the  best 
plan  is  to  temper  the  hypo  or  keep  it  in  a  saturated  form 
and  reduce  it  as  you  need  it.  Another  plan  is  to 
gradually  reduce  the  hypo  bath  by  pouring  off  part 
of  it  and  adding  water,  repeating  until  down  to  clear 
water. 


128  MODERN     PHOTOGRAPHY 

When  sodas  come  from  chemical  works  in  crystal 
form,  they  contain  a  very  large  percentage  of  water  of 
crystalization  and  the  conditions  under  which  they  are 
kept  have  a  great  deal  to  do  with  their  strength.  If 
they  are  kept  in  a  warm  dry  place,  the  water  of  crystali- 
zation dries  out  and  they  become  much  stronger.  When 
sodas  are  weighed  by  scales,  you  can  never  tell  anything 
about  them.  Always  test  all  sodas  in  solution  by  hydro- 
meter. It  is  well  to  often  test  your  hydrometer  by  wash- 
ing thoroughly  and  filling  with  plain  water.  If  the 
stem  stands  at  zero  in  the  water,  it  is  O.  K.  If  it  sinks 
below  and  tests  stronger,  it  is  "off;"  to  remedy,  tap 
the  small  end  of  the  hydrometer  on  a  board  and  jar  the 
paper  in  the  stem  down.  Keep  testing  it  until  it  is  at 
the  right  point. 

One  of  the  most  important  things  in  a  ton.ng  room  is 
litmus  paper.  Only  buy  the  best,  put  up  in  glass  tubes. 
Never  allow  any  one  to  sell  you  a  litmus  paper  that  has 
a  hard,  solid  body.  Always  use  a  soft  litmus  paper 
that  the  solution  can  take  hold  of  at  once.  Use  red 
litmus  paper  to  test  for  alkali  and  blue  litmus  paper 
to  test  for  acid.  The  length  of  time  it  takes  to  turn  red 
litmus  paper  blue,  or  blue  litmus  paper  red,  will  denote 
how  strongly  alkali  or  acid  the  solution  is.  Always 
keep  in  well  stoppered  bottles,  as  light  or  air  will  affect 
the  sensitiveness  of  the  litmus  paper;  and  never  mix  the 
blue  and  red. 


IN    THEORY    AND    PRACTICE.  1 29 

Water. 

The  water  we  use  is  cf  the  greatest  importance  and 
there  is  entirely  too  little  attention  given  to  it.  Afier 
having  tried  the  water  over  the  larger  part  of  the  United 
States,  we  find  lime,  magnesia,  plaster  paris,  sulphur, 
iron  and  many  other  things  contained  in  the  water  we 
use.  When  we  remember  that  toning  and  developing 
are  very  delicate  chemical  operations,  it  is  a  source  of 
wonder  that  the  results  obtained  are  as  good  as  they  are. 
When  a  gold  bath  is  made  with  water  that  is  strongly 
alkaline  the  prints  will  be  muddy  and  flat  and  lack  brilli- 
ancy and  in  the  platinum  bath  the  results  are  even 
worse,  precipitating  the  platinum,  causing  slow  toning 
and  a  waste  of  materials.  In  the  hypo  bath  it  is  often 
the  cause  of  yellow  whites.  It  is  very  important  that 
we  clear  the  water  of  these  chemicals  as  far  as  possible, 
if  we  desire  to  obtain  the  best  results.  A  very  simple 
and  easy  way  to  do  this  is  to  get  an  empty  whiskey  or 
alcohol  barrel,  remove  the  head,  clean  thoroughly  and 
fill  with  water.  Dissolve  a  teaspoonful  of  ground  alum 
in  a  cup  of  hot  water  and  pour  in  the  barrel  of  water. 
Stir  thoroughly  and  allow  to  settle  for  24  hours.  Use 
this  water  for  first  washing,  for  baths  and  all  washing 
between  baths  until  after  the  prints  come  from  the  hypo, 
when  they  may  be  washed  in  the  regular  tap  water. 
There  is  very  little  water  west  of  the  Mississippi  River 
that  could  not  be  improved  by  this  treatment,  especially 
where  it   comes  from  artesian  wells.     When  water  is 


130  MODERN    PHOTOGRAPHY 

heavily  charged  with  magnesia  or  iron,  it  is  best  to  use 
other  water  until  prints  are  out  of  the  hypo.  Any 
trouble  you  may  go  to  in  your  efforts  to  obtain  pure 
water  will  pay  you  a  hundredfold  in  time,  material  and 
results  and  this  means  money. 

Kirkland's  Lithium  Paper. 

This  is  a  glossy  gelatine  printing-out  paper,  which 
is  extensively  used  both  by  amateurs  and  professionals. 
Print  it  quite  dark.  This  paper,  like  most  of  the  print- 
ing out  varieties,  may  be  toned  either  in  a  combined  or 
a  separate  toning  bath.  A  combined  bath  is  one  in  which 
the  print  is  toned  and  fixed  in  one  bath.  We  advise  all 
amateurs  to  shun  combined  baths.  Most  combined  baths 
contain  acetate  of  lead  and  the  results  are  not  perma- 
nent and  in  a  few  months  or  a  year  or  perhaps  several 
years,  your  pictures  begin  to  turn  yellow  in  the  high  lights 
and  gradually  fade  until  nothing  is  left  of  them.  We 
strongly  recommend  the  use  of  a  separate  bath  for  all 
printing-out  papers  and  the  general  directions  given 
under  the  head  of  Aristo  papers,  in  regard  to  thorough 
fixing  and  long  and  careful  washing,  applies  to  nearly  all 
of  this  class  of  papers.  Lithium  paper  should  be  thor- 
oughly washed  and  then  toned  in  any  alkaline  toning 
bath.  It  may  seem  superfluous  to  many  to  describe  how 
to  test  a  bath,  but  on  investigation  we  tind  that  many 
amateurs  do  not  understand  what  an  acid  or  alkaline 
bath  is,  or  how  to  ascertain  what  your  bath  is.     Procure 


IN    THEORY    AND    PRACTICE.  I3I 

some  red  litmus  paper  from  your  dealer.  It  is  put  up 
in  glass  tubes  or  vials.  Take  a  small  strip  and  dip  it 
in  the  solution.  If  the  red  litmus  paper  turns  blue  im- 
mediately, then  your  bath  is  very  alkaline;  if  it  remains 
red,  then  your  bath  is  acid.  If  it  turns  blue  slightly  and 
the  blue  can  only  be  seen  after  the  paper  is  dry,  then  it 
is  only  slightly  alkaline.  To  make  it  alkaline,  gradually 
add  sal  soda  or  borax  to  the  bath  until  the  litmus  paper 
shows,  by  turning  blue,  that  it  has  become  alkaline. 
Never  guess  at  it  and  do  not  add  too  much  alkali.  Acid 
or  neutral  baths  produce  red  or  sepia  tones,  while  alka- 
line baths  produce  darker  tones,  depending  on  the 
amount  of  alkali  and  gold  used  and  the  length  of  time 
the  toning  is  continued.  The  manufacturers  of  Lithium 
papers  recommend  the  following 
Toning  Bath: 

Borax >4  oz. 

Distilled  Water. 16  oz. 

To  tone,  take  one  ounce  of  this  stock  solution  to  two  grains  of  chloride  of  gold 
and  sixty  ounces  of  water. 

This  bath  should  be  prepared  one  hour  before  using. 
Sulphate  of  soda  may  be  used  in  the  same  proportion  as 
borax  for  making  the  stock  solution.  Test  the  bath  by 
toning  one  picture.  If  the  result  is  a  red  or  undesirable 
tone,  add  the  alkaline  stock  solution  and  let  the  bath 
stand  a  few  minutes  longer.  Keep  the  prints  in  constant 
motion  in  the  toning  bath,  taking  those  from  the  bottom 
and  placing  them  on  top.  If  you  allow  prints  to  remain 
one  on  top  of  the  other,  the  result  will  be  red  streaks. 


132  MODERN     PHOTOGRAPHY 

The  length  of  lime  thai  prints  are  toned  depends  largely 
on -the  tone  desired.  If  a  dark  tone,  bluish-black  in 
shade  is  desired,  allow  the  prints  to  tone  until  the  high 
lights  turn  just  a  trifle  blue.     Now  fix  for  ten  minutes  in 

Fixing  Bath. 


Water 64  oz. 

Hypo 2  oz. 


Powdered  .-Mum H  oz 

Salt J^oz. 


Keep  your  prints  well  separated  in  the  fixing  bath 
and  turn  them  often,  as  you  do  in  the  toning  bath.  Now 
wash  your  prints  thoroughly  in  running  water  for  about 
one  hour  and  they  are  ready  to  finish. 

In   hot  weather  the  following  hardening   solution  is 

recommended : 

Hardener. 

Warm  Water 64  oz.       I      Sulphate  of  Soda 8  oz. 

Borax 6cz.  Powdered  .Mum 16  oz. 

This  hardener  is  used  prior  to  toning  and  washing. 
Use  one  ounce  of  the  hardening  solution  to  ten  ounces 
of  water  and  immerse  the  prints  and  keep  them  in  mo- 
tion for  about  five  minutes.  This  paper  is  made  by  the 
Kirkland  Lithium  Paper  Company,  Denver,  Colo. 
Delta  Matt. 

This  is  a  collodion  paper,  manufactured  by  the  New 
Jersey  Aristotype  Company,  Bloomfield,  N  J.  With 
this  paper  you  print  very  deep,  or  until  the  high  lights 
are  considerably  tinted.  The  prints  are  then  washed  in 
about  four  changes  of  water  to  remove  the  free  silver. 
The  prints  are  then  placed  in  the  following  toning  bath: 


IN    THEORY    AND    PRACTICE.  1 33 

Toning  Bath. 

Water 60  oz. 

Chloride  of  Gold 2  gr. 

The  toning  bath  is  then  made  slightly  alkaline.  For 
olive  black  effects  continue  to  tone  until  the  high  lights 
are  clear,  allowing  the  shadows  to  remain  warm.  For 
black  and  white  effects  extend  the  toning  a  little  further, 
but  be  careful  not  to  overtone  or  the  result  will  be  a 
blue  or  gray  picture.  Now  wash  the  prints  in  two 
changes  of  water  and  tone  in 

Platinum  Bath. 

Platinum  Solution „ adrs. 

Water 60  oz. 

This  bath  should  be  made  up  two  or  three  hours  be- 
fore it  is  required  for  use.  Continue  in  this  bath  until 
the  desired  tone  is  reached  and  then  transfer  directly  to  a 

Short  Stop. 

Carbonate  Potassium  Saturated  Solution 2  drs. 

Water 64  oz. 

Now  wash  prints  slightly  and  transfer  to 
Fixing  Bath. 

Hypo,  Sat.  Solution I  oz. 

Water 12  oz. 

Wash  thoroughly  in  running  water  for  say  one  hour, 
and  your  prints  are  ready. 

There  are  so  many  printing-out  papers  now  on  the 
market  that  it  would  be  impracticable  to  give  directions 
for  printing  and  toning  all  of  them*  and  as  the  various 
gelatine  and  collodion  papers  require  the  same  or  nearly 

•Progressive  Lessons  in  Photography,  Part  HI,  describes  all  the  Printing 
Papers  on  the  market  and  how  to  work  them. 


134  MODERN    PHOTOGRAPHY 

the  same  treatment,  it  would  simply  be  a  repetition  of 
what  we  have  already  said.  We  will  therefore  call  the 
attention  of  the  amateur  to  another  class  of  printing-out 
papers  known  as 

Blue  Prints. 

Although  this  is  the  simplest  paper  to  work  it  should 
not  by  any  means  be  despised,  as  with  a  good  landscape 
or  marine  negative  very  beautiful  effects  may  be  secured 
and  if  a  good  article  is  purchased  the  resulting  prints  are 
permanent. 

No  chemicals  of  any  kind  are  used  for  toning  these 
prints.  The  paper  is  usually  a  light  green  on  the 
sensitized  side  and  should  be  handled  as  above  described. 
With  this  paper  the  printing  should  be  done  in  direct 
sunlight,  as  the  paper  is  not  particularly  sensitive  and 
printing  in  the  shade  would  take  considerable  time. 
Print  until  the  high  lights  of  the  picture  begin  to  appear 
somewhat  muddy,  then  remove  from  the  printing  frame 
and  place  the  print  in  a  tray  or  bowl  of  water  face  down- 
ward and  allow  it  to  remain  there  until  the  white  por- 
tions of  the  picture  are  quite  clear.  The  prints  should 
be  in  slowly  running  water  about  ten  minutes  and  may 
then  be  taken  out  and  laid  face  upward  on  a  piece  of 
glass  or  ferrotype  plate  until  dry.  The  result  will  be  a 
beautiful  deep  blue  picture  on  a  pure  white  ground. 

Blue  prints  are  improved  by  the  addition  of  a  liberal 
white  margin  around  the  negative.  This  can  be  effected 
as  follows; 


IN  THEORY  AND  PRACTICE.  I35 

Take  an  8  x  lo  printing  frame  and  in  it  place  an 
8  X  lo  clear  glass  which  has  been  thoroughly  cleaned  on 
both  sides.  Such  a  glass  can  be  secured  at  any  supply 
house,  or  some  friend  who  uses  8  x  lo  plates  can  doubt- 
less furnish  you  with  one  or  two  old  negatives  from 
which  the  emulsion  can  be  cleaned  off  by  means  of  hot 
water  and  a  nail  brush.  Place  this  glass  in  the  printing 
frame  and  cut  a  piece  of  red  express  or  black  paper, 
8  X  ro  inches,  that  will  just  fit  in  the  frame.  Select  the 
negative  that  you  propose  to  print,  examine  it  carefully 
and  determine  just  what  portion  of  it  you  wish  to  show 
in  the  finished  print.  A  4  x  5  negative  will  generally 
make  a  3^  x  4^  print.  Find  the  center  of  your  black 
paper  and  cut  in  it  an  opening  3^  X4^  inches.  Place 
your  4x5  negative  on  the  plain  glass  in  the  center  of 
the  printing  frame  in  such  a  way  that  when  the  black 
matt  is  laid  over  it  the  portion  of  the  negative  which  you 
wish  to  print  will  show  through  the  opening.  When 
you  have  placed  your  negative  in  the  correct  position  it 
may  be  held  there  by  two  narrow  strips  of  gum  paper. 
Having  placed  your  black  paper  over  your  nejjative 
you  now  lay  a  sheet  of  8  x  10  blue  print  paper  upon  it. 
Put  on  the  cover  of  the  printing  frame  and  expose  in 
sunlight.  It  is  evident  that  the  light  will  only  affect 
those  portions  of  the  paper  which  show  through  the 
opening  in  the  black  paper  and  the  result  will  be  a 
3-%^  X  ^}4  blue  paint  in  the  center  of  an  8  x  10  sheet, 
and  if  the  negative  was  a  good  one  the  result  will  be 


136  MODERN    PHOTOGRAPHY 

worthy  of  a  frame.  Blue  prints  are  not  suitable  for 
portraits,  or  interiors  or  exteriors  of  houses  and  as  before 
stated  your  work  on  this  paper  should  be  confined  to 
marines  and  landscapes. 

A  great  many  formulas  and  processes  have  been  sug- 
gested for  toning  or  changing  the  color  of  a  blue  print 
to  a  dark  brown  or  black  but  many  of  them  produce 
unsatisfactory  results  and  stain  the  whites  in  the  high 
lights  and  we  can  only  advise  the  foUow^ing:  Take  a 
dampened  blue  print  and  float  it  printed  side  down  on  2 
per  cent  solution  of  nitrate  of  silver.  This  will  cause 
the  image  to  almost  entirely  disappear  and  the  print 
should  then  be  thoroughly  washed  for  a  few  minutes  in 
running  water  and  then  toned  or  developed  in  the  fol- 
lowing bath: 

No.  I.  I  No.  a. 

Neutral  Oxalate  of  Potash...        i  lb.  Ferrous  Sulphate J^  lb. 

Distilled  Water  to 3  pints  Sulphuric  .■\cid 10  drops 

I      Distilled  Water to  10  ounces 

Of  this  take  i]4  ounces  of  No.  i.  %  ounce  of  No.  2, 
and  about  ten  drops  of  a  ten  per  cent  solution  of  Brom- 
ide Potassium.  Be  sure  and  add  No.  2  to  No.  i,  but  do 
not  pour  No.  i  into  No.  2,  or  you  will  spoil  the  solution. 
The  image  will  now  gradually  turn  black  and  when  it 
has  reached  the  desired  color  wash  it  again  in  running 
water  for  a  few  minutes  and  then  put  it  into  a  bath  com- 
posed of 

Hydrochloric  Acid i  dram 

Wafer lo  ounces 

and  after  allowing    it  to   remain    there  a   few  minutes 


IN  THEORY  AND  PRACTICE  137 

remove  and  again  thoroughly  wash  it  in  running  water, 
when  it  can  be  dried. 

In  the  above  formula  we  spoke  of  a  2  per  cent  solu- 
tion of  nitrate  of  silver  and  such  expressions  are  often 
found  in  books  on  photography  without  any  accompany- 
ing explanation  and  this  makes  it  very  confusing  to  the 
amateur,  as  it  may  be  understood  by  him  in  various 
ways.  Ordinarily  among  photographers,  a  10  per  cent 
solution  of  bromide  is  understood  to  consist  of  9  ounces 
of  water  and  i  ounce  of  bromide.  This  from  a  chem- 
ist's standpoint  is  all  wrong  and  is  not  a  ten  per  cent 
solution  by  any  means.  Soluble  salts  are  taken  up  by 
water  without  increasing  the  bulk  and  we  might  take 
10  ounces  of  water  and  stir  into  it  i  ounce  of  bromide 
without  perceptibly  elevating  the  level  of  the  water. 
Suppose  we  want  to  make  a  2  per  cent  nitrate  of  silver 
solution  and  the  total  amount  of  solution  required  is  10 
ounces,  then  we  will  proceed  as  follows:  One  ounce 
contains  480  grains  and  10  ounces  will  contain  480  mul- 
tiplied by  10,  or  4,800  grains.  Two  per  cent  of  4.800 
grains  is  96  grains  and  we  would  therefore  weigh  out 
96  grains  of  silver  and  dissolve  it  in  10  ounces  of  water. 

Blue  print  paper  can  be  purchased  very  cheaply  on  the 
market  but  it  does  not  keep  well  for  any  great  length 
of  time  and  the  amateur  might  like  to  experiment  in 
making  his  own  paper,  which  he  can  easily  do  as  fol- 
lows: Secure  some  sheets  of  good  wove  linen  paper,  or 
any  other  paper  having  a  smooth  surface  which  is  fairly 


138  MODERN     PHOTOGRAPHY 

heavy.  Any  good  writing  paper  without  the  lines,  or 
what  is  known  as  laid  water  marks  in  it,  will  be  found  til 
for  the  purpose.  This  paper  should  be  held  t'lrmly  to  a 
drawing  board  and  the  surface  coated  with  the  follow- 
ing solution: 

No.  2. 


No.  I. 

Citrate  of  Iron  and  Ammonia,  50  grs. 
Water 4  drams 


Red  Prussiate  Potash 32  grs 

Water 4  dr;iiiis 


Red  prussiate  of  potash  is  also  known  as  ferricyanide 
of  potassium,  and  these  chemicals  should  all  be  what  is 
known  as  C.  P.,  or  chemically  pure.  Now  pour  into  a 
graduate  the  4  drams  of  No.  2  and  filter  into  a  bottle  by 
placing  a  plug  of  cotton  in  the  bottom  of  the  funnel  or 
by  means  of  filter  paper.  As  soon  as  this  is  filtered 
immediatel}^  follow  it  with  the  4  drams  of  No.  i,  and  add  a 
small  quantity  of  bromide  of  potassium  from  the  stock 
solution.  This  bromide  is  added  in  order  to  make  the 
paper  keep  but  if  it  is  to  be  used  at  once  the  bromide 
may  be  left  out.  The  solution  is  applied  to  the  face  of 
the  paper  by  means  of  a  very  soft  sponge  or  what  is 
known  as  a  Blanchard  brush.  This  brush  is  easily  made 
by  taking  a  small  strip  of  glass  or  wood,  say  two  inches 
wide  b}'  six  long,  and  fastening  over  the  end  of  it  sev- 
eral thicknesses  of  cotton  flannel  holding  it  in  position 
by  means  of  a  rubber  band.  If  a  sponge  is  used  a  small 
stick  should  be  tied  to  it  for  a  handle,  or  it  may  be 
mounted  by  securing  a  small  piece  of  glass  tubing, 
say  four  inches  long  by  one  inch  in  diameter.  Loop  a 
piece  of  hard  twine  around  the  sponge  and  pull  the  two 


IN    THEORY    AND    PRACTICE.  1 39 

ends  of  the  string  up  through  the  glass  tube  and  fasten- 
ing them  there.  A  small  quantity  of  the  solution  should 
be  taken  on  the  brush  or  sponge  and  the  paper  lightly 
brushed  from  left  to  right,  starting  at  the  top,  until  you 
have  reached  the  bottom  of  the  sheet.  Now  turn  the 
board  around  so  that  the  lines  we  are  about  to  make 
will  cross  the  others  at  a  right  angle  and  proceed  to  go 
over  the  sheet  in  the  opposite  direction.  In  this  way  you 
avoid  streaks  on  your  paper  by  filling  in  places  in  the 
second  application  that  were  missed  in  the  first.  Your 
paper  can  now  be  pinned  up  or  hung  up  in  the  dark 
room  to  dry.  The  operation  of  sensitizing  blue  print 
paper  can  be  done  by  lamp  light  but  if  performed  in  the 
day  time  the  operation  would  have  to  be  confined  to  the 
dark  room  or  some  place  devoid  of  daylight.  As  soon 
as  the  paper  is  dry  it  can  be  cut  up  in  sizes  to  suit  and 
packed  away  carefully  in  strong  light-tight  envelopes. 

In  sensitizing  for  blue  prints  you  will  have  to  prepare 
your  solutions  somewhat  differently  for  different  papers, 
as  a  less  amount  of  iron  and  ammonia  will  be  required 
on  soft  than  a  hard  paper.  V'ery  beautiful  effects  may 
be  secured  with  blue  prints  by  sensitizing  light  blue 
writing  paper,  the  result  being  a  dark  blue  print  on  a 
light  blue  ground.  Other  shades  of  paper  may  be  sel- 
ected but  care  must  be  exercised  that  the  colors  of  the 
paper  are  permanent  and  will  not  wash  out  when  we 
come  to  wash  our  prints. 

Blue  prints  may  be   used  advantageously  for  sketch- 


140  MODERN    PHOTOGRAPHY 

ing  with  India  ink  for  making  book  illustrations,  decora- 
ting menus,  etc.  A  blue  print  is  first  made  from  a  neg- 
ative of  the  article  which  you  wish  to  illustrate.  This 
print  is  washed  in  water  and  dried.  Now  with  water- 
proof India  ink,  Higgins',  or  any  other,  proceed  to  draw 
in  over  the  blue  lines  and  when  the  drawing  is  finished 
bathe  it  carefully  in  a  weak  solution  of  potash  and 
water.  A  weak  solution  of  condensed  lye  and  water 
will  answer  very  well.  Under  the  action  of  the  potash 
solution  the  blue  will  be  dissolved  and  run  away,  leaving 
the  waterproof  lines  behind.  The  print  should  then  be 
washed  carefully  in  several  changes  of  water  and  dried 
and  you  will  have  a  clean-cut  black  drawing  on  a  white 
ground,  which  will  reproduce  nicely  in  the  zinc  etching 
process.  Fig.  35,  and  other  illustrations  in  these  pages, 
are  produced  in  this  manner. 

Ferrogallic  Paper. 

This  paper  gives  a  black  print  but  is  not  so  easily  pre- 
pared as  blue  print  paper.  Paper  similar  to  that  for  blue 
prints  is  secured  and  coated  the  same  as  blue  prints  but 
with  the  following  solution: 

Gelatine iS  grs. 

Uistilled  Water i  oz. 

Tartaric  Acid iBgrs. 

Cut  up  the  gelatine  in  small  pieces  and  soak  in  the 
water  for  three  hours.  It  is  then  heated  until  the  gela- 
tine assumes  a  liquid  form  and  the  acid,  sulphate  and 
chloride  added  in  the  order  named  and  the  whole  filtered 


Ferric  Sulphate iSfifs. 

Ferric  Ciiloride 30  grs. 


IN  THEORY  AND  PRACTICE.  I4I 

while  still  hot.  The  coating  is  applied  hot  by  lamp  light 
but  the  paper  should  be  dried  in  the  dark.  It  is  printed 
in  sunlight  until  the  image  appears  and  is  then  toned  or 
developed  in  a  solution  consisting  of 

Water 2  ozs. 

Oxalic  Acid i  gr. 

Gallic  Acid 4  grs. 

The  paper  should  be  placed  in  a  tray  and  this  solution 
poured  upon  it  and  rocked  as  in  developing  a  plate. 
The  image  will  change  gradually  to  black  and  the  paper 
is  then  removed  and  washed  and  given  a  bath  of  water 
slightly  acidulated  with  sulphuric  acid,  again  washed  and 
the  superfluous  water  removed  with  blotting  paper. 
Monocrome  Paper. 

Immerse  a  good  quality  of  paper  in  a  solution  con- 
sisting of 

Bichromate  of  Potash  »...75  grs. 

Distilled  Water 2'/2  ozs. 

This  should  be  done  by  lamplight.  Dry  the  paper 
thoroughly  and  then  print  for  about  ten  to  fifteen  min- 
utes in  direct  sunlight  and  then  wash  the  print  thor- 
oughly in  running  water.  To  obtain  a  rich  red  print, 
now  place  the  print  in  a  solution  of  chloride  of  tin,  wash 
and  then  place  in  a  solution  of  hypernic  wood.  If  a 
black  tone  is  desired  substitute  a  solution  of  ferrous  sul- 
phate for  the  tin,  wash  and  place  in  a  solution  of  tannic 
acido  If  an  orange  shade  is  wanted  use  first  a  solution 
of  nitrate  of  lead,  wash  and  then  place  in  a  weak  solu- 
tion of  caustic  potash.     The  prints  must  be  thoroughly 


142  MODERN     PHOTOGRAPHY 

washed  between  treatment  by  the  various  chemicals  but 
if  the  stream  of  the  water  is  allowed  to  strike  dirrxtly 
on  the  print  it  may  wash  off  the  pigment  entirely. 

Uranium  Paper. 

Select  a  good  paper  and  float  it  for  a  minute  on  the 
surface  of  the  following  solution: 

Uranium  Nitrate 2$  grs. 

Distilled  Water i  oz. 

Curl  the  sheet  of  paper  when  floating,  to  expel  the 
air  and  avoid  air  bubbles.  This  should  be  done  by  lamp 
light.  The  paper  is  now  quickly  dried  in  subdued  lamp 
light  or  in  the  dark  room  and  it  is  ready  for  printing. 
The  coating  is  a  weak  brown  in  color  and  the  printing 
will  appear  as  a  chocolate  brown.  After  printing,  the 
paper  should  be  washed  in  running  water  but  not  in  the. 
stream.     If  it  is  now  sponged  with  a  solution  of 

Chloride  of  Gold agr". 

Distilled  Water i  oz. 

the  result  will  be  a  deep  violet  print. 

If,  after  printing  and  washing,  it  is  put  into  a  two  per 
cent  solution  of  red  prussiate  of  potash  a  fine  red  print 
will  be  the  result.  If  printed  and  washed  and  immersed 
for  a  minute  in  a  five  per  cent  solution  of  cobalt  nitrate 
the  result  will  be  a  green  print  and  it  should  then  be  put 
in  the  following  solution,  washed  and  dried: 

Distilled  Water i  oz. 

Sulphate  of  Iron 20grs. 

Sulphuric  Acid 16  drops- 


In  theory  and  practice.  143 

Of  course  in  all  instances  the  print  must  finally  be 
washed  thoroughly  before  drying. 

There  are  numerous  other  simple  papers  which  the 
amateur  can  prepare  but  we  will  not  devote  our  atten- 
tion to  some  of  the  staple  goods  on  the  market.  Most 
of  the  papers  just  described  come  under  the  class  of 
"prmting  out  papers,"  generally  known  as  P.  O.  P. 

Let  us  now  consider  some  of  the  papers  of  the  second 
class,  or  "developing  papers." 

Bromide  Paper. 

These  papers  are  made  in  various  qualities,  as  thin, 
thick  and  very  thick  and  with  various  surfaces,  as 
smooth,  rough  and  very  rough.  The  artistic  results  of 
the  finished  prints  on  bromide  paper  depend  largely  on 
the  negative  selected  for  use  and  the  particular  paper 
used  on  that  negative.  Negatives  having  a  great  mass 
of  detail  will  look  better  on  the  smooth  than  the  rough 
bromide,  while  open  scenes,  moonlights  and  marines 
look  better  on  the  matt  surface  papers,  according  to  our 
idea.  These  papers  are  very  sensitive  and  should 
always  be  printed  in  the  dark  room.  For  this  reason 
they  are  favorites  with  amateurs  who  have  little 
time  to  print  during  the  daylight  hours.  Light  your 
ruby  lamp  and  handle  the  paper  as  you  would  a  nega- 
tive. The  negative  is  placed  in  the  frame  and  the  coated 
side  of  the  paper  in  contact  with  the  negative.  Put 
away    the  remaining  paper    carefully  in  the    package. 


144  MODERN    PHOTOGRAPHY 

Measure  off  about  12  or  15  inches  from  your  lamp  on 
the  table  ynd  draw  a  line.  The  exact  distance  from  the 
lamp  depends  largely  on  its  size,  or  the  size  of  the 
burner.  Stand  the  printing  frame  upon  the  table  with 
the  glass  side  of  frame  on  this  line.  Hang  your  watch 
up  on  a  convenient  hook  or  nail  where  you  can  see  the 
dial  plainly  by  the  red  light.  If  it  is  an  ordinary  nega- 
tive it  will  require  from  10  to  15  seconds  exposure  with 
a  small  burner  in  the  dark  room  lantern.  The  best  way 
to  test  this  is  to  cut  a  sheet  in  quarters  and  test  a  small 
piece.  When  you  have  the  time  just  right  run  over 
your  negatives  and  select  out  those  of  about  the  same 
density  and  give  them  the  same  exposure.  When  you 
have  found  the  right  time  for  each  negative,  mark  it  on 
the  negative  envelope  and  you  will  always  have  it  as  a 
guide  for  future  bromide  printings.  When  the  second 
hand  on  your  watch  has  reached  the  required  point, 
prmt  by  removing  the  ruby  glass  and  then  place  the 
printing  frame  face  downward  on  your  table  or  bench 
and  close  the  ruby  lamp.  If  we  now  examine  the  face 
of  the  paper  we  will  find  nothing  on  it  any  more  than 
we  will  on  a  negative  after  it  is  exposed. 

The  picture  must  be  brought  out  by  development  just 
as  we  bring  out  the  image  on  a  negative.  The  solution 
on  the  paper  is  the  same  as  that  on  a  negative,  though 
less  sensitive.  The  print  is  now  placed  in  a  clean  tra} 
and  the  developer  poured  over  it  and  the  image  will 
gradually  appear   as   it   does  on  a   negative  but  in  very 


IN   THEORY    AND    PRACTICE.  I45 

much  less  time.  We  have  not  experimented  with  factors 
in  bromide  development  but  have  no  doubt  that  by  a 
little  experiment  they  can  be  worked  out,  for  the 
conditions  are  almost  identical  with  the  negative  develop- 
ment. 

Tolidol  makes  a  good  developer  for  bromide  paper, 
as  it  is  almost  colorless  and  does  not  stain  the  papers 
as  some  of  the  developers  will.  Generally  speaking  a 
solution  of  Tolidol  for  plates  may  be  strengthened  fifty 
per  cent  for  use  as  a  bromide  developer.  The  Nepera 
Chemical  Company  and  the  Eastman  Company,  the  two 
largest  manufacturers  of  bromide  papers  in  this  country 
both  recommend  the  use  of  the  following  developer: 

No.  I.  I  No.  2. 

Neutral  Oxalate  of  Potash 16  ozs.  Proto-Sulphate  of  Iron 8  ozs 

Hot  Water 48  ozs.  Hot  Water 24023, 

I  Citric  Acid .iSgrs. 

Let  both  solutions  cool  and  then  put  them  in  separate 
bottles,  well  corked  and  they  will  keep  for  months.  To 
use,  measure  out  four  ounces  of  No.  i  and  one  ounce  of 
No.  2.  The  print  should  first  be  soaked  in  water  for  a 
minute  or  two  until  quite  limp  and  it  is  then  placed  in  a 
tray,  flooded  with  the  developer  and  rocked  as  in 
developing  a  negative.  A  few  drops  of  bromide,  in  the 
proportion  of  one  ounce  of  bromide  potassium  to  one 
quart  of  water  may  be  used  where  it  is  found  necessary 
to  restrain  the  developer.  As  soon  as  the  print  has 
reached    the  desired  strength  and  all  the  details  have 


1^6  MODERN    PHOTOGRAPHY. 

developed  out,  take  it  from  the   developer  and  without 
washing,  place  it  in  the  following: 

Clearing  Solution. 

Acetic  Acid i  dram. 

Water 32  ozs. 

The  print  should  be  thoroughly  rocked  in  the  solu- 
tion and  turned  over  often  so  the  solution  can  act  on 
both  sides  of  the  paper  and  thus  prevent  the  iron  in  the 
developer  from  precipitating  on  the  paper.  Pour  oK 
clearing  solution  and  apply  fresh  and  repeat.  Now 
rinse  the  print  in  clean  water  and  use  the  following: 
Fixing  Batli. 

Hyposulphite  of  Soda 8  ozs. 

Water 64  oz? 

After  fixing  thoroughly,  the  print  should  be  washed 
for  two  hours  and  then  dried.  Blisters  may  be  avoided 
by  using  a  little  common  salt  in  the  first  washing  water 
after  fixing.  To  avoid  yellow  prints  the  developer  must 
be  acid,  the  clearing  solution  must  be  used  as  directed, 
fresh  hypo  solution  should  be  used  on  each  batch  of 
prints  and  the  final  washing  must  be  thorough,  though 
the  prints  should  not  be  washed  over  two  hours. 

The  prints  may  be  given  a  high  finish  if  the  smooth 
surface  paper  be  used,  by  squegeeing  the  prints  on  a 
ferrotype  plate  but  in  our  estimation  this  takes  from 
the  print  all  its  artistic  qualities.  A  proof  may  be  taken 
from  a  negative  which  has  just  been  fixed  and  washed, 
before  it  is  dried,  ae  follows:     Wet  a  piece  of  smooth 


IN  THEORY  AND  PRACTICE.  I47 

bromide  paper  and  place  it  directly  in  contact  with  the 
wet  film  of  the  negative.  Expose  to  the  lamp  as  directed 
above,  remove  from  the  plate,  develop,  fix  and  wash  and 
you  have  a  proof  which  will  not  fade  and  is  made  in  less 
than  thirty  minutes  from  the  time  the  plate  was  developed. 

Sepia  Tones. 

To  change  bromide  prints  from  blue-black  to  sepia 
tones  they  must  first  be  thoroughly  washed  to  free  them 
from  all  traces  of  hypo  or  developer.  Then  tone  them 
by  rocking  in  a  tray  containing  the  following: 

Uranium  Toning  Solution. 

Potassium  Ferricyanide  (not  Ferrocyanide) 36grs. 

Uranium  Nitrate 32  grs. 

Acetic  Acid 25  diams. 

Water 84  ozs. 

Dissolve  the  ferricyanide  in  the  water  and  let  in  stand  for 
a  few  minutes,  add  the  acid  and  then  the  nitrate  and  filter. 

Should  any  precipitate  form  during  the  toning,  filter 
the  solution  again,  wash  out  tray  and  proceed  once 
more.  If  the  precipitate  is  allowed  to  remain  it  will 
discolor  the  print.  Do  not  use  iron  or  enameled  trays 
while  using  this  solution.  Use  glass  or  porcelain  and 
keep  trays  clean.  Let  the  toning  proceed  a  little  deeper 
than  desired  in  the  finished  print  and  wash  in  running 
water  until  the  print  is  free  from  the  yellow  color,  which 
will  be  about  twenty  minutes.  This  solution  will  not 
keep  and  only  enough  should  be  made  up  for  immedi- 
ate use.     If  the  highlights  are  still  discolored  immerse 


148  MODERN    PHOTOGRAPHY 

the  prints  in  a  solution  of  one  drop  of  .^tronuf  ammonia 
to  12  ounces  of  water  but  allow  the  print  to  stay  in  this 
solution  but  a  few  seconds  and  then  wash. 

Bromide  paper  may  be  manipulated  to  such  an  extent 
that  a  print  need  rarely  be  thrown  away  as  poor  or  use- 
less. The  print  may  be  green  from  over-exposure  or 
have  a  muddy  background  and  may  still  be  converted 
into  a  fairly  good  print.  If  it  is  over-exposed  it  may  be 
toned  in  Uranium  as  given  above  and  if  over-exposed 
and  over-developed  it  should  first  be  reduced  in  a  solu- 
tion of 

Red  Prussiate  of  Potash 2  drams. 

Hypo icz. 

Water 16  (zs. 

The  print  should  be  reduced  a  little  more  than  the 
density  required  in  the  finished  result  and  then  wat?hed 
thoroughly.  This  is  applicable  to  prints  which  have  been 
under-exposed  and  over-developed  in  an  effort  to  biing 
out  details,  which  resulted  in  a  print  with  muddy  back- 
ground. The  reducer  may  be  applied  locally  with  a 
brush  as  suggested  for  negatives,  allowing  the  reducer 
to  run  away  from  those  parts  which  do  not  need  reduc- 
tion and  frequently  splashing  the  print  with  water. 
When  unsatisfactory  tones  are  produced  they  can  be 
changed  or  modified  to  almost  any  extent  by  the  use  of 
gold,  uranium,  copper  or  iron.  Gold  produces  a  rich 
blue-black,  uranium  v/e  have  explained,  copper  gives 
various  colors  from  a  purple  black  to  a  red   and  iron 


IN  THEORY  AND  PRACTICE.  149 

various  shades  of  blue,  depending  on  the  length  of  devel- 
opment. The  print  after  washing  should,  for  a  blue- 
black  tone,  be  immersed  in 

Ammonium  Sulpho-Cyanide 3ogrs. 

Water  to  10  ozs. 

(jold  Chloride 2grs. 

The  sulpho-cyanide  is  first  dissolved  in  water  and  then 
the  gold  is  added.  Toning  will  proceed  rapidly  and 
may  be  performed  in  subdued  daylight.  When  the  pro- 
per tone  is  reached  wash  in  several  changes  of  water 
and  fix  for  a  quarter  of  an  hour. 

For  red  tones  make  a  one  per  cent  solution  of  copper 
sulphate  and  add  to  this  a  saturated  solution  of  carbonate 
of  ammonia  until  the  first  formed  precipitate  is  re-dis- 
solved. To  this  add  three  grains  of  potassium  ferricy- 
anide  to  each  ounce  of  the  above.  The  toning  takes 
place  somewhat  slowly  and  starts  with  a  blue-black  but 
if  continued  it  changes  to  a  brilliant  red.  If  a  blue  tone 
is  desired  use 

Potassium  Ferricyanide 5  gis. 

Ferric  Oxalate 5  grs. 

Water  to 20  ozs. 

Various  colors  of  blue  may  be  secured  according  to 
lenth  of  toning. 

An  unsatisfactory  print  can  be  bleached  out  in  the  fol- 
lowing bath  and  when  well  washed  may  be  re-developed 
to  any  desired  shade: 

Potassium  Bichromate 15  grs. 

Alum 75  grs. 

Hydrochloric  Acid i  dram. 

Water 4  ozs, 


ISO  MODERN    PHOTOGRAPHY 

After  a  thorough  washing  the  prints  must  be  fixed 
and  again  washed. 

Velox  Paper. 

This  is  a  form  of  bromide  developing  paper  which  is 
not  as  sensitive  as  the  ordinary  bromide  papers  and  the 
paper  may  be  placed  in  the  printing  frame  by  means  of 
gas  or  subdued  daylight.  It  may  be  printed  by  electric 
hght  or  will  print  in  from  one  to  eight  seconds  by  dif- 
fused daylight,  say  a  few  feet  from  a  window  having  a 
north  exposure.  It  may  also  be  prmted  by  means  of 
gaslight  or  a  kerosene  burner  at  a  distance  of  three  or 
four  inches  from  the  negative  in  one  or  two  minutes. 
Six  forms  of  this  paper  are  put  upon  the  market  by  the 
manufacturers  and  are  known  respectively  as  "Carbon," 
a  matt  paper;  "Glossy,"  an  enameled  paper;  "Rough," 
a  slightly  pebbled  surface;  "Special  Portrait,"  a  half 
matt;  "Special  Glossy,"  with  enameled  surface  and 
"  Special  Rough."  The  "  Special  "  papers  require  less 
exposure  than  the  ordinary. 

After  exposure,  develop  with  either  of  the  following 
developers: 

Metol  Quinol. 

Water lo  ozs. 

Metol 7  grs 

Sodium  Sulphite,  crystals  pure 54  oz. 

Hydroquinone 3°  grs 

Sodium  Carbonate,  desiccated 200  gn, 

(Or40ogrs.  of  crystallized  carbonate.) 
JO  per  cent  Bromide  of  Potassium  solution,  about , .10  drops 


IN  THEORY  AND  PRACTICE.  I51 

Amidol. 

Water 4  ozs 

Sodium  Sulphite,  crystals  pare 200  grs 

Amidol,  about 20  gfs 

10  per  cent  Bromide  of  Potassium  solution,  about 5  drops. 

If  blacks  are  greenish,  add  more  amidol;  if  whites  are 
grayish,  add  more  bromide  of  potassium. 

Be  sure  to  have  your  chemicals  pure,  especially  your 
sulphite  and  not  to  let  your  developer  become  spoiled 
by  oxidation;  therefore,  keep  it  in  small,  well-stoppered 
bottles  filled  to  the  neck.  Rubber  stoppers  are  recom- 
mended. Too  weak  a  developer,  or  one  that  is  oxidized 
or  contains  too  much  bromide,  will  give  greenish  or 
brownish  blacks. 

It  is  almost  invariably  necessary  in  order  to  prevent 
foggy  or  stained  whites  in  prints,  to  add  a  small  quantity 
of  a  ten  per  cent  bromide  of  potassium  solution  to  the 
developer.  This  quantity  will  vary  according  to  purity 
of  chemicals  and  water  and  according  to  the  age  or  the 
condition  of  dryness  of  the  paper.  *' Special  Velox"  can 
stand  more  bromide  in  developer  and  further  dilution  of 
same  than  ordinary  Velox  without  giving  greenish 
blacks. 

The  developing  can  be  done  a  few  feet  from  the  open 
ruby  lamp  but  we  prefer  to  be  safe  and  use  red  light 
Develop  as  directed  for  bromide  papers,  wash  slightly 
and  fix  in  the  following  bath: 

Hypo 16  oz. 

Wftter 640?. 


[52  MODERN     PHOTOGRAPHY. 

Then  add  the  following  hardening  solution: 

Water '  ozs. 

Sodium  Sulphite  Crystals  J^  02. 

Acfetic  Acid  No.  8  (or  4V4  deg.  B.) 3  ozs. 

Powdered  Alum 14  oz 

This  hardening  solution  can  be  left  out  but  the  sur- 
face of  the  prints  may  then  remain  rather  soft  and  the 
hypo  bath  will  soon  discolor  and  is  then  liable  to  stain 
the  prints.  With  the  hardening  solution  this  mixture 
keeps  perfectly  clear  and  can  be  made  up  at  any  time  in 
advance.  It  can  be  used  as  long  as  it  is  strong  enough. 
It  is  also  an  excellent  fixing  bath  for  dry  plates. 

Rodinal  and  Tolidol  also  make  good  developers  for 
all  kinds  of  Velox  and  Bromide  papers  and  especially 
tine  results  are  to  be  obtained  with  Tolidol.  With  the 
latter,  which  is  a  comparatively  new  developing  agent, 
used  for  dry  plates,  films  and  developing  papers,  special 
formulas  and  directions  are  given  for  developing  the 
various  kinds  of   papers. 

Platinotypes. 

There  are  two  kinds  of  platinotype  paper  on  the 
market,  one  made  by  Willis  &  Clements,  Philadelphia, 
and  the  other  made  by  John  Bradley,  Philadelphia. 
Both  papers  are  good. 

There  is  an  indescribable  soft  and  pure  tone  about  a 
platinotype  picture  which  is  not  found  in  other  papers, 
but  which  is  somewhat  approached  in  Aristo-Platina, 
V^elox   and  Carbon  papers.     This  paper  must  be   kept 


IN    THEORY    AND    PRACTICE.  1 53 

dry  and   at  the    same  time  cool  and   comes  in  prepared 

tubes.     These  tubes  should  be  kept  in  the  ice  box  when 

not  in  use. 

Printing. 

This  paper  requires  about  one-third  the  exposure  of 
ordinary  printing-out  paper  and  a  properly  printed 
sheet  will  show  only  a  faint  brown  image  on  the  yellow 
surface  of  the  paper.  The  printing  frame  must  be 
thoroughly  dry  and  a  sheet  of  thin  vulcanized  rubber 
should  be  placed  on  top  of  the  paper  in  the  printing 
frame  before  placing  the  back  in  position.  Dampness 
of  the  back  of  the  printing  frame  or  in  the  paper,  will 
cause  muddy-looking  prints  and  impure  whites.  The 
paper  should  be  printed  until  all  parts  of  the  picture  are 
visible  except  the  high  lights  and  the  printing  must  be 
examined  by  subdued  light  only. 

Developing. 

The  manufacturers  of  these  papers  provide  developing 
salts  and  these  are  dissolved  according  to  the  accom- 
panying directions  and  kept  as  a  stock  solution.  The 
prints  should  be  developed  as  soon  as  convenient  after 
printing  and  if  for  any  reason  the  developing  cannot  be 
proceeded  with  at  once  then  the  prints  should  be  re- 
turned and  kept  in  the  tube  until  such  time  as  it  is  con- 
venient. These  papers  are  developed  either  in  hot  or 
cold  developer  but  in  either  event  the  work  of  develop- 
ment should   be   performed  in  the  dark  room,  or  by  gas 


154  MODERN     PHOTOGRAPHY 

light.  The  solution  being  ready,  the  print  is  floated 
upon  it,  exposed  side  down,  for  about  thirty  seconds. 
Dishes  made  of  porcelain  or  agate  ware  should  be  used 
for  development.  After  the  print  has  floated  upon  the 
bath  for  fifteen  seconds,  face  down,  it  may  be  turned 
over  in  order  that  3'ou  may  the  more  readily  note  the 
development  as  it  progresses.  When  the  print  has  de- 
veloped to  the  right  dcQ-ree  action  is  stopped  by  plunging 
it  into  the  acid  cleann^j;  bath,  which  will  be  described. 
Before  developing  the  next  print,  stir  the  bath  in  order 
to  break  up  any  scum  which  might  be  left  by  the  first 
print. 

The  developing  bath  should  never  have  a  lower  tem- 
perature than  60°  F.  or  it  may  be  warmed  by  means  of 
an  oil  or  gas  stove  to  100°  F.  but  never  above  this 
point.  A  warm  developer,  as  a  rule,  gives  warmer 
tones  and  under  exposed  prints  may  often  be  saved  by 
using  the  developer  at  100  F.  The  developer  is  not  to 
be  thrown  away  after  use  but  should  be  poured 
in  a  separate  bottle  and  marked  "old  platinotype 
developer"  and  with  the  addition  of  about  ten  per  cent 
of  fresh  developer  can  be  used  on  the  next  batch  of 
prints.  The  developer  should  not  be  filtered  but  should 
be  kept  in  a  dark  corner  in  the  dark  room.  A  little 
cloudy  matter  in  the  developer  does  not  affect  its  use 
and  it  clears  up  materially  while  standing.  You  should 
always  have  at  least  a  half  inch  of  developer  in  your  tray 
when  developing. 


IN  THEORY  AND  PRACTICE.  1$$ 

Clearing  and  Washing  Prints. 

There  should  be  at  least  three  acid  baths,  consisting  of 
one  part  muriatic  acid  to  sixty  parts  of  water  and  the 
acid  should  be  chemically  pure.  The  print  is  placed  face 
downwards  in  the  tirst  bath  for  five  minutes,  then 
removed  to  the  second,  where  it  should  remain  for  ten 
minutes  and  then  to  the  third,  where  it  should  remain  for 
tifteen.  Fresh  acid  baths  should  be  prepared  for  each 
batch  of  prints  and  the  old  baths  thrown  away.  The 
prints  should  now  be  washed  In  three  changes  of  water, 
turning  them  carefully,  so  as  not  to  rub  their  faces  and  to 
neutralize  the  effect  of  the  acid  a  few  grains  of  sal  soda 
should  be  placed  in  the  second  washing  water.  One- 
half  hour  is  sufficient  time  for  washing  and  the  prints 
can  be  blotted  off  and  placed  away  to  dry,  or  they  can 
be  mounted  while  still  damp.  The  Bradley  paper 
requires  but  one  acid  bath,  in  which  it  should  be  left  for 
ten  minutes. 

The  Willis  &  Clements  paper  is  made  in  three  grades, 
known  as  A  A,  or  "thin  smooth;"  B  B,  or  "heavy 
smooth"  and  C  C,  or  "  heavy  rough."  It  is  also  made 
to  produce  black  or  sepia  tones.  In  working  the  sepia 
paper  the  same  general  directions  are  to  be  observed  as 
for  black  but  the  sepia  paper  is  more  sensitive  to  light, 
the  temperature  of  the  solution  increased  to  150°  to  160° 
F.  and  sepia  tablets  are  added  to  the  developing  solution. 
The  Bradley  paper  is  made  in  two  grades,  known  as  J, 
or  smooth  surface,  and  B,  or  heavy,  slightly  rough. 


156  MODERN     PHOTOGRAPHY 

Carbon  or  Pigment  Prints. 

Carbon  prints  are  not  made  by  the  average  amateur, 
on  account  of  the  somewhat  tedious  processes  involved 
but  those  amateurs  who  have  once  mastered  the  process 
and  noted  the  beautiful  results  are  well  satisfied  to  put  up 
with  the  extra  trouble.  Prints  made  by  this  process 
possess  the  property,  which  cannot  be  attributed  to  all 
other  varieties,  that  of  being  absolutely  permanent  and 
the  black  or  carbon  prints  proper,  possess  a  purity  of  tone 
found  only  in  platinotypes.  If  pure  blacks  and  whites 
are  admired,  we  may  say  that  in  this  respect  they  even 
surpass  platinotypes.  Carbon  prints  are  not  made  on  pre- 
pared paper,  as  are  other  prints  and  we  cannot  therefore 
speak  of  "carbon  paper"  in  a  strict  sense.  In  order  that 
the  amateur  may  thoroughly  understand  the  carbon  pro- 
cess, let  us  explain  the  underlying  principles.  The  car- 
bon process  is  founded  on  a  peculiar  faculty  which  gela- 
tine has.  If  gelatine  be  impregnated  with  bichromate 
of  potash  and  then  exposed  to  light  under  a  negative, 
those  portions  which  have  received  the  light's  rays 
become  insoluble  in  hot  water.  The  gelatine  is  not 
applied  to  the  regular  paper,  for  reasons  which  we  will 
explain  later  but  is  applied  to  thin  tough  paper  and  is  tech- 
nically known  as  "carbon  tissue."  Carbon  tissue  may  be 
purchased  from  all  the  large  photographic  supply  stores, 
though  the  smaller  dealers  do  not  keep  it  as  a  rule.  It 
is  generally  to  be  had  in  black,  which  is  the  true  carbon 
and  in  browns,  greens  and  reds.     It  is  usually  carried  in 


IN    THEORY    AND    PRACTICE.  1 57 

England  in  two  forms,  known  as  sensitized  and  plain 
but  we  know  of  no  dealer  in  the  United  States  who 
carries  the  tissue  senitized  but  the  amateur  can  easily 
sensitize  it  before  use,  by  immersing  in  the  following 
bath  for  thirty  or  forty  seconds: 

Bichromate  of  Potash Vs  oz. 

Distilled  Water 12  oz. 

Aqua  Ammonia 2  drops. 

It  must  be  hung  up  to  dry  in  the  dark  room  for  sev- 
eral hours.  If  the  sensitized  variety  was  on  the  mar- 
ket this  trouble  might  be  avoided  but  the  plain  paper 
will  keep  indefinitely  and  the  sensitized  is  limited  in  its 
keeping  qualities. 

The  great  drawback  which  carbon  prints  have  had 
in  the  eyes  of  the  amateur  photographers  is  that  the 
progress  of  the  printing  cannot  be  observed  from  time 
to  time,  as  with  printing-out  papers  and  the  fact  that 
carbon  prints  have  to  be  transferred.  Let  us  try  and 
explain  why  the  transfer  becomes  necessary.  As 
pointed  out  above  the  gelatine  when  treated  with  bichro- 
mate of  potash  and  exposed  to  the  light,  becomes  in- 
soluble in  hot  water.  It  then  follows  that  if  we  expose 
a  piece  of  the  tissue  under  a  negative  in  the  printing 
frame,  that  the  light  will  act  upon  it  as  it  does  on  other 
printing  paper  and  that  those  portions  which  lie  under 
clear  glass  in  the  negative  receive  the  greatest  amount 
of  hght,  those  under  the  half-tones  next  and  those  under 
the  black  portions  of  the  negative  no  light.  In  the  case 
ot  the  portions  of    the  tissue  directly  under    the   clear 


.T58  MODERN    PHOTOGRAPHY 

glass  the  light  strikes  clear  through  the  gelatine  on  the 
surface  of  the  tissue  and  if  we  were  to  place  the 
exposed  tissue  in  hot  water  those  portions  would  be  un- 
affected, while  those  parts  which  were  under  the  black. 
portions  of  the  negative  and  received  no  light,  would  be 
dissolved  and  run  away.  How  about  the  half-tone,  or 
those  parts  which  received  but  a  portion  of  the  light? 
The  light  not  having  free  access  to  those  portions,  the 
surface  of  the  sensitive  film  only  has  been  affected,  and 
if  we  were  to  place  the  tissue  in  hot  water  the  unaffected 
portions  underneath  would  be  dissolved  and  the  entire 
half-tone  portions  be  washed  away  with  it.  Now  it  is  ob- 
vious that  in  order  to  avoid  this  we  must  transfer  the 
film  before  developing,  or,  in  other  words,  turn  it  upside 
down  and  this  is  done  by  what  is  known  as  transferring 
to  a  temporary  support  and  removing  the  tissue  which 
previously  held  it  in  place.  We  can  now  see  why,  in 
the  carbon  process,  it  is  impossible  to  print  and  develop 
the  picture  without  removing  it  from  the  paper  on  which 
the  sensitive  ground  was  originally  laid,  as  in  printing 
out  papers. 

Now  if  the  film  on  the  paper  is  black,  how  are  we  to 
know  when  it  has  been  printed  sufficiently?  There  are 
two  ways  of  determining:  one  as  we  did  in  the  case  of 
bromide,  or  velox  paper,  by  experiment,  i.  e.,  by  printing 
a  small  portion  and  then  developing  it  and  two  by 
means  of  an  actinometer,  or  by  comparison. 

There   are   several    actinometers    on    the    market    as 


IN    THEORY    AND    PRACTICE.  I59 

Burton's,  Sawyer's  and  Johnston's,  or  the  amateur  can 
make  a  simple  actinometer,  with  very  little  trouble,  as 
follows:  Procure  a  piece  of  ordinary  glass,  say  four 
inches  long  and  a  half  inch  wide  and  a  piece  of  thin 
wood,  (cigar  box  will  do)  of  the  same  dimensions.  Cut 
up  some  white  tissue  paper  into  strips  a  half  inch  wide 
and  four  inches  long.  Make  some  starch  paste  and 
paste  the  face  of  the  glass  lightly  and  press  on  one  of 
the  tissue  strips.  Paste  again  and  put  on  another  strip, 
letting  it  recede  about  three-eighths  of  an  inch  and  pro- 
ceed in  this  manner  until  you  have  say  eight  or  nine 
tissues  pasted  one  over  the  other,  with  three-eighths  inch 
steps  between  them  thus 

^■^^^^^^^^^^^i^H^^^l^^^^  Glass. 

■  Tissue. 

Each  tissue  added  is  to  be  three-eighths  of  an  inch 
shorter  than  the  one  previously  pasted  in  position.  With 
a  lead  pencil  number  the  tissue  steps  from  i  to  9.  Cut 
up  a  piece  of  ordinary  printing  out  paper  into  strips  four 
inches  long  and  a  half  inch  wide.  When  the  tissue  strips 
are  dried  hard  you  are  all  ready  for  a  trial  of  the  actino- 
meter. Place  one  of  the  sensitized  slips  with  its  face 
against  the  tissue  paper,  cover  it  with  the  wood  strip  and 
hold  all  in  position  by  means  of  two  small  rubber  bands, 
one  at  each  end.  We  now  select  a  negative,  put  it  in 
the  printing  frame  and  place  the  carbon  tissue  over  it, 
as  in  making  ordinary  prints.     The  printing  frame   and 


l6o  MODERN     PHOTOGRAPHY 

actinometer  are  placed  side  by  side  in  a  good  bright 
light  but  not  sunlight  and  examine  the  actinometer  (by 
removing  one  of  the  rubber  bands  so  you  can  see  the 
printing  paper)  from  time  to  time.  The  length  of  time 
which  will  be  required  to  print,  depends  on  the  negative, 
as  in  other  processes  but  when  the  sensitized  strip  under 
step  six  shows  a  decided  color  you  will  be  safe  to  remo\  e 
and  develop  your  first  print.  If  the  development  proves 
that  your  judgment  was  correct,  then  you  will  do  well 
to  mark  the  envelope  belonging  to  this  negative  "  Car- 
bon 6"  and  you  will  know  exactly  what  exposure  it  will 
require  in  the  future  for  carbon  printing.  You  can  also 
make  comparisons  between  this  and  other  negatives  and 
mark  all  those  of  a  similar  density  and  thus  save  much 
experimental  printing.  Carbon  tissue  prints  in  about 
the  same  time  that  the  ordinary  gelatine  and  collodion 
papers  do.  The  next  step  is  to  develop  your  print  and 
see  if  your  exposure  has  been  correct,  for  it  would  be 
folly  to  continue  printing  until  you  know  you  are  right. 
There  are  two  methods  of  making  carbon  prints, 
known  respectively  as  the  "single"  and  "double  trans- 
fer process."  We  will  first  describe  the  development  of 
the  single  transfer  process,  since  it  is  the  simpler  of  the 
two.  To  start  with,  we  shall  require  four  separate  trays 
or  dishes,  some  single  transfer  paper,  a  piece  of  glass  or 
zinc,  a  print  roller  or  squeegee  and  a  good  supply  of 
hot  water.  A  small  glass  thermometer  will  also  be 
handy,    especially  to  the  novice.     Of  the  dishes,  three 


IN    THEORY    AND    PRACTICE.  l6l 

might  be  the  ordinary  trays  used  in  development  and 
for  the  fourth  you  should  have  an  enameled  iron  dish» 
In  the  first  tray  put  cold  water,  in  the  second  hot  water, 
iio°  F.,  in  the  third  cold  water  and  in  the  fourth  the 
fixing  solution,  which  consists  of  one  ounce  of  common 
alum  to  twenty  ounces  of  water.  Cut  off  a  piece  of 
single  transfer  paper  a  little  larger  than  your  print,  put 
it  in  the  first  tray  and  allow  it  to  soak  for  three  or  four 
minutes  until  it  feels  slippery  to  the  touch.  This  trans- 
fer paper  you  purchase  from  the  photo  supply  house  at  the 
same  time  you  purchase  the  carbon  tissue.  You  place  the 
exposed  carbon  tissue  also  in  this  tray  and  you  will  note 
that  it  immediately  begins  to  curl,  the  film  side  being  in. 
In  a  few  minutes  it  will  again  begin  to  straighten  out 
and  just  before  it  straightens  bring  it  in  contact  with  the 
single  transfer  paper  under  the  water,  the  film  side  of 
the  tissue  being  next  to  the  slippery  side  of  the  transfer. 
Now  slip  under  both  of  them  the  piece  of  glass  or  zinc 
spoken  of,  remove  from  the  waier  and  adjust  the  tissue 
until  it  is  about  central  on  the  transfer  paper.  Hold  it 
in  position  with  the  fingers  on  one  end  and  pass  the 
print  roller  over  the  tissue,  pressing  it  firmly  down  into 
position.  Now  remove  the  fingers  and  press  down  the 
other  half,  working  from  the  center.  Now  remove  the 
zinc  or  glass  from  the  back  and  substitute  a  few  pieces 
of  blotting  paper.  Place  two  or  three  pieces  of  blotting 
paper  over  the  tissue  and  then  put  on  a  fiat  board  and 
weight  to  hold  the  print  flat  and  in  position.    At  the  end 


1 62  MODERN     PHOTOGRAt»HV 

of  a  quarter  ot  an  hour  we  are  ready  to  proceed.  Oi 
course  it  will  be  understood  that  if  we  were  working  a 
dozen  or  more  prints,  we  could  pile  them  on  top  of  one 
another,  with  two  or  three  sheets  of  blotting  between 
each  sheet  and  thus  save  time. 

We  are  now  ready  for  the  development  and  we  now 
fill  the  second  dish  with  the  hot  water.  In  this  dish  we 
pi  ice  the  carbon  tissue  still  adhering  to  the  single  trans- 
fer paper  and  turn  the  sheet  over  and  over  again  as  you 
would  in  toning.  In  a  few  moments  you  will  note  that 
the  colored  gelatine  is  beginning  to  run  out  from  be- 
tween the  two  sheets.  About  this  time,  take  the  print 
from  the  water  and  taking  one  corner  of  the  tissue 
paper  between  the  thumb  and  forefinger  of  the  right 
hand,  proceed  to  strip  it  from  the  colored  gelatine.  In 
some  cases  the  tissue  will  stick  and  it  must  then  be  allowed 
to  soak  for  a  few  minutes  longer  and  it  will  generally 
come  off  without  trouble.  The  remaining  gelatine  does 
not  look  very  attractive,  being  a  dirty  mass  of  sticky 
matter  but  as  we  begin  to  bathe  it  with  the  hot  water 
the  superfluous  gelatine  melts  and  runs  away,  leaving 
the  image  behind  it  in  the  form  of  a  pure  black  print. 
When  the  development  has  proceeded  far  enough,  the 
print  is  transferred  to  the  third  dish  containing  the  cold 
water,  where  it  should  remain  for  about  five  minutes  and 
is  then  placed  in  the  fourth  dish,  or  hardening  solution, 
where  it  should  remain  for  fifteen  or  twenty  minutes. 
After  removing,  it  should  be  washed  thoroughly  in  clean 


IN    THEORY    AND    PRACTICE.  163 

water  and  laid  away  or  hung  up  to  dry.  To  keep  prints 
flat  we  advise  laying  them  on  a  ferrotype  plate  to  dry, 
film  side  up. 

Now  it  may  happen  that  the  first  print  is  either  too 
dark  or  too  fight.  If  it  is  too  dark,  then  we  exposed  it 
too  long  in  the  printing  and  if  too  light,  then  it  is  under 
exposed  or  printed.  If  we  find  that  the  print  is  not 
coming  up  as  black  as  we  should  desire,  being  under 
printed,  then  place  it  in  cooler  water  and  it  wifi  some- 
times save  it  and  if  over  printed  increase  the  tempera- 
ture of  the  water.  Under  no  circumstances  should  the 
film  of  the  picture  be  handled  until  it  is  quite  dry.  On 
examination  of  the  finished  print  you  will  see  that  it  is 
reversed,  i.  e.,  those  portions  of  the  picture  which  were 
on  the  right  in  nature  are  now  on  the  left  and  vice  versa. 
Now  in  very  many  cases  this  will  make  no  difference, 
particularly  in  landscapes  but  if  the  scene  is  a  familiar  one, 
or  if  it  is  a  well-known  public  building,  it  would  appear 
ridiculous  and  we  should  therefore  have  to  employ  what 
is  known  as  the  double  transfer  process  in  order  to  have 
the  picture  appear  as  the  scene  does  in  nature. 

The  manipulation  for  the  double  transfer  process  is 
similar  to  the  single  but  the  printed  carbon  tissue,  in- 
stead of  being  squeegeed  to  a  permanent  support  is  first 
attached  to  what  is  known  as  a  temporary  support,  then 
developed  and  again  changed  to  its  permanent  support. 
The  temporary  support  may  consist  of  paper,  metal  or 
glass  but  in  any  event   it  must  be  coated  with  the  fol- 


164  MODERN     PHOTOGRAPHY 

lowing  waxing  compound,  which  can  be  purchased  from 
the  photo  supply  house  or  made  at  home: 

Yellow  Beeswax 25  grs. 

Powdered  Resin 15  grs. 

Turpentine 2  oz. 

The  beeswax  should  be  cut  into  small  pieces  and 
placed  in  a  bottle,  the  turpentine  added  and  then  dis- 
solve by  placing  the  bottle  in  a  water  bath.  When  the 
wax  is  all  dissolved,  add  the  resin  and  keep  it  in  the  bath 
until  thoroughly  dissolved.  Take  a  small  quantity  of  the 
compound  on  a  clean  linen  rag  and  apply  it  to  the  sur- 
face of  the  temporary  support  and  polish  with  a  clean 
linen  rag.  The  temporary  support  should  be  prepared 
before  you  start  your  printing.  The  final  support,  in 
the  shape  of  paper,  may  be  purchased  from  your  photo 
supply  house,  or  it  may  be  glass,  mica,  wood  or  any 
substance  that  will  stand  washing  in  water.  The  final 
support  should  be  soaked  for  about  a  quarter  of  an  hour 
in  a  solution  composed  of 

Powdered  Alum 4  drs. 

Water 20  ozs. 

The  printed  carbon  tissue  is  soaked  in  water  until  soft 
and  then  transferred  to  the  temporary  support,  which  has 
previously  been  coated  with  the  wax  solution.  This, 
of  course,  is  done  under  water,  as  described  in  the  sin- 
gle transfer  process.  It  is  now  squeegeed,  dried  and 
developed,  soaked  in  water  and  hardened  as  previously 
explained.  After  it  is  thoroughl)'  washed  it  is  brought 
into  contact  with  the  prepared  surface  of  the  final  sup- 


IN    THEORY    AND    PRACTICE.  165 

port  and  is  then  squegeed  down  firmly  to  it  and 
allowed  to  dry.  When  thoroughly  dry  insert  the  end  of 
your  penknife  under  one  corner  of  the  temporary  sup- 
port and  it  will  come  away  leaving  the  print  in  its  final 
resting  place.  Where  the  final  support  is  glass,  polished 
metal  or  wood,  there  is  a  liability  of  the  print  not  ad- 
hering well  unless  the  surface  is  prepared  for  its  recep- 
tion. It  is  therefore  well  to  coat  the  surface  of  the 
article.  This  coating  is  prepared  by  soaking  200  grains 
of  gelatine  in  16  ounces  of  water  for  three  or  four  hours 
and  then  dissolving  it  in  a  water  bath.  Now  dissolve  15 
grains  of  chrome  alum  in  four  ounces  of  water  and  add 
it  very  gradually  to  the  gelatine  solution.  Should  the 
gelatme  thicken  too  much  add  a  few  drops  of  acetic  acid, 
shaking  the  bottle  thoroughly.  This  should  be  applied 
in  a  thin  coating  to  the  wood  or  glass,  which  is  to  act  us 
a  final  support  and  allowed  to  dry.  The  solution  should 
always  be  applied  warm.  The  final  support  should  be 
soaked  in  water  for  a  few  minutes  before  the  carbon 
print  is  applied.  If  the  final  print,  after  drying,  be 
coated  with  this  waxing  compound  mentioned  for  coat- 
ing the  temporary  support,  it  will  be  waterproof  and  can 
be  cleaned  with  a  moist  sponge  or  cloth  when  soiled.  '. 
There  are  occasions  when  the  amateur  would  like  to 
print  a  portrait,  landscape,  or  marine  upon  a  handker- 
chief, tidy  or  piece  of  satin  or  silk  for  a  sofa  pillow. 
This  can  be  done  readily  by  sensitizing  the  surface  of 
the  material  and  printing  and  developing  the  same  in  the 


t66  modern   photography 

ordinary  way.  Recently  there  has  been  placed  upon 
the  market  an  article  known  as  "  Sensitol  "  which  the 
amateur  will  find  very  convenient  for  this  purpose.  It 
is  a  sensitizing  fluid  and  gives  a  good  photographic  sur- 
face to  any  material  that  is  sufficiently  absorbent  to 
retain  a  small  quantity  of  it  in  its  pores.  The  materials 
best  adapted  to  this  purpose  are  plain,  unsized  linen 
note  paper,  Whatman's  hot  pressed  and  other  similar 
grades  of  waterproof  drawing  paper,  postal  cards  and 
silk,  satin,  linen  and  cotton  fabrics.  Its  manipulations 
are  so  simple  that  the  merest  beginner  can  get  perfect 
results  by  following  the  directions. 

The  solution  is  to  be  applied  to  the  surface  with  a 
camel's  hair  brush  set  in  quill,  or  still  better,  set  in  hard 
rubber  but  never  under  any  circumstance,  with  a  brush 
set  in  metal,  as  the  solution  is  decomposed  by  free 
metals.  It  can  be  applied  by  ordinary  gas  or  lamp  light, 
or  by  very  weak  daylight  but  the  sensitized  material 
must  be  dried  and  kept  in  the  dark  and  in  a  place  that 
is  free  from  moisture. 

Fabrics  should  be  sensitized  and  printed  on  glass  by 
laying  the  fabric  over  it.  Full  directions  for  preparing 
the  work,  printing  and  toning  accompany  each  bottle. 


A  Meritorious  Freak. 


CHAPTER  XI. 

Ridiculous  and  seemingly  impossible  results  are  some- 
times achieved  by  means  of  the  camera  and  the  manipu- 
lation of  the  subject  or  plate.  Every  amateur  is  doubt- 
less familiar  with  the  class  of  pictures  which  show  the 
subject  with  distorted  feet  but  it  is  not  every  photo  of 
this  class  which  is  a  success  and  it  is  seldom  that  we  see 
an  example  in  which  the  entire  picture  is  in  focus.  To 
take  even  a  good  "freak"  picture  one  must  thoroughly 
understand  the  underlying  principles  and  must  have  the 
proper  apparatus.  The  accompanying  illustration  was 
made  from  a  photograph  of  considerable  merit  which  was 
taken  by  Mr.  L.  L.  Northup,  South  Haven,  Mich.  It  will 
be  noted  that  every  portion  of  this  picture  is  in  focus, 
from  the  heels  of  the  rubber  boots  to  the  magazine  which 
the  boy  is  reading.  This  photo  was  made  by  placing 
the  subject  on  an  incline.  The  lens  used  was  a  short 
focus,  wide  angle  one,  stopped  down  toy"i6,  with  an 
exposure  of  ten  seconds,  under  a  skylight.  The  plate 
used  was  a  26x  Seed. 

Very  curious  and  ridiculous  effects  may  be  produced 
by  taking  a  photograph  in  the  usual  way,  developing, 
fixing  and  washing  and  then  while  the  film  of  the  plate  is 
still  wet,  heating  it  before  the  fire  or  gas  burner  until  the 
coating  is  ready  to  run  in  any  direction.    Now  by  tilting 

167 


I 68  MODERN    PHOTOGRAPHY. 

the  negative  one  way  and  another  and  thus  distorting 
the  image,  most  ridiculous  results  follow.  Portraits, 
groups  and  street  scenes  are  particularly  applicable  for 
this  form  of  freak.  In  portraits  the  faces  can  be  dis- 
torted in  every  conceivable  manner  while  well-known 
public  buildings  can  be  made  to  assume  the  appearance 
of  having  passed  through  a  terrible  earthquake.  So 
called  ghost  photographs  are  easily  made.  A  person 
wrapped  in  a  sheet  is  placed  in  front  of  the  camera  for  a 
second  or  two,  the  exposure  made,  the  lens  capped,  the 
person  walks  away  and  the  lens  is  again  uncapped  and 
the  balance  of  the  exposure  made.  The  result  will  be 
an  indistinct  shadowy  image  of  the  *'ghost,"  through 
which  the  drapery  or  furniture  of  the  room  can  be  seen, 
giving  the  transparent  effect  which  is  attributed  to  ghosts. 
Comical  effects  may  be  produced  by  showing  two  per- 
sons playing  cards  at  a  table,  while  the  ghost  is  seen 
standing  behind  or  beside  one  of  the  figures,  holding 
up  a  warning  finger.  In  photographing  in  this  way  it 
is  essential  that  the  figures  do  not  change  position  be- 
tween the  first  and  second  exposures,  except  the  person 
who  is  impersonating  the  ghost. 

Very  good  imitations  of  oil  paintings  may  be  made  in 
a  similar  manner.  The  person  whose  portrait  is  to  be 
made  is  placed  behind  a  large  sized  gold  frame,  one 
large  enough  to  show  the  head  and  shoulders  of  the  sit- 
ter. A  piece  of  coarse  canvas  is  secured  and  is  painted 
brown  or  a  neutral  color  with  distemper,  or  you  can  pur- 


IN    THEORY    AND    PRACTICE.  169 

chase  a  piece  of  brown  canvas  at  almost  any  dry-goods 
store,  the  variety  of  goods  which  ladies  use  for  outing 
skirts  and  known  as  duck.  The  canvas  is  stretched  on 
a  rough  wooden  frame  and  placed  immediately  behind 
the  sitter.  You  now  focus  the  sitter  sharply,  expose  the 
plate  in  the  usual  manner,  close  the  lense  and  plate  hold- 
er and  remove  the  latter,  being  careful  to  note  which 
is  the  side  of  the  plate  holder  used.  The  sitter  is  now 
removed  and  you  re-focus  so  that  the  grain  of  the 
canvas  comes  up  sharply  on  the  ground  glass.  Again 
insert  the  plate  holder  and  finish  the  exposure.  The  re- 
sult will  be  a  negative  which  will  very  closely  resemble 
an  oil  painting  which  has  been  photographed,  for  the 
grain  of  the  canvas  will  appear  all  over  that  portion  of 
the  picture  which  appears  inside  the  frame,  even  show- 
ing on  the  light  portions  of  the  face. 
It  is  sometimes  desirable  to  show 
two  views  of  a  person  on  one  nega- 
tive, as  a  full  face  and  a  profile  and 
yet  show  no  dividing  mark  where  the 
two  exposures  meet.  This  can  easily 
be  effected  by  means  of  the  duplicator 
which  is  shown  in  Fig.  36.  The  du- 
plicator can  easily  be  made  as  follows:  Select  a  card- 
board pill  box  or  a  small  tin  box  which  will  fit  over  the 
front  of  your  lens.  With  a  pair  of  compasses  draw  a 
circle  on  the  bottom  of  it  about  the  size  of  the  lens  and 
cut  away  a  section  about  equal  to   one-fourth  of   the 


I70  MODERN     PHOTOGRAPHY 

circle.  Use  this  as  a  cap  for  your  lens  and  note 
the  effect  when  viewing  a  scene  on  the  ground  glass. 
If  the  scene  just  covers  one-half  of  the  ground  glass 
then  the  aperture  is  correct  but  if  it  covers  less  than 
a  half  you  may  have  to  cut  away  a  third  or  gradually 
increase  the  opening.  The  size  of  the  opening  depends 
on  the  distance  between  the  ground  glass  and  the 
lens.  If  a  figure,  the  person  will  have  to  be  posed 
a  little  to  one  side  of  the  camera.  You  focus  and  the 
exposure  is  then  made  in  the  ordinary  way.  The 
lens  is  then  capped  or  the  shutter  closed  and  the  plate 
holder  removed.  The  duplicator  is  now  turned  so 
that  the  opening  comes  opposite  the  other  half  of  the 
lens  and  by  means  of  the  ground  glass  you  can  see  that 
it  is  in  the  right  position.  The  plate  holder  is  again 
inserted  and  the  exposure  made  on  the  other  half  of  the 
plate,  the  person  in  the  meantime  posing  a  little  to  the 
other  side  of  the  camera.  To  do  the  work  nicely,  the 
ground  glass  should  be  divided  exactly  in  the  center  by 
means  of  a  pencil  mark,  so  that  you  know  that  the  two 
pictures  just  meet  in  the  center.  The  duplicator  can  be 
turned  so  as  to  throw  the  image  on  any  part  of  the  plate 
and  many  humorous  pictures  can  be  made  in  this  way. 
For  example  two  persons,  who  have  never  met  in  life, 
can  be  made  to  appear  as  sitting  opposite  one  another 
at  a  table  playing  cards,  or  a  person  can  be  made 
to  appear  as  though  he  were  playing  cards  with  his 
double. 


IN  Theory  and  practice. 


1-71 


The  same  effect  can  be  secured  by  dividing  the  camera 
at  the  back,  close  to  the  grooves  in  which  the  plate  hold- 
ers slide,  by  means  of  a  piece  of  tin,  just  half  the  size  of 
the  plate  but  this  is  not  easily  done  with  hand  cameras. 
The  tin  is  held  in  place  at  the  bottom  by  two  thumb 
tacks  and  at  the  top  by  a  swivel  button.  The  exposure 
is  made  on  one  half  the  plate,  the  tin  shifted  over  and 
the  other  half  is  then  exposed.  Another  method  is  to 
cover  half  the  dry  plate  with  a  piece  of  black  paper 
or  cardboard,  make  an  exposure  and  then  shift  the 
paper  so  the  other  half  of  the  plate  is  exposed.  The 
Ideal  Duplicator  is  an  instrument  built  on  the  principle 
of  the  one  first 
described,  being 
a  metal  box  with  a 
section  of  a  circle 
cut  away.  It  is 
very  inexpensive, 
cos  tin  g  but 
twenty-five  cents. 
Fig.  37  illustrates 
the  Multiplex  De- 
vice which  is  fur- 
nished with  the 
Adlake  Cameras,  for  making  two  or  four  views  on  one 
plate.  One  of  the  most  ridiculous  pictures  of  this 
class  that  we  have  ever  seen  depicted  is  a  man  in  the 
act  of  viewing  his    own    head  which  was  stuck  on  a 


Fig.sr- 


1^2  MODERN    PHOTOGRAPHV 

candlestick  on  the  table  before  him.  Those  who  are 
familiar  with  stage  tricks  will  readily  recognize  that 
such  a  photo  and  many  others  of  its  class  are  readily 
made  by  the  employment  of  a  mirror  and  the  above 
described  duplicator- 

By  taking  advantage  of  the  well-known  law  that  the 
nearer  an  object  is  to  the  lens  the  larger  it  appears, 
some  very  ridiculous  effects  may  be  produced  by  means 
of  a  short  focus  lens  and  photographs.  A  reproduction 
of  a  portrait  if  viewed  from  one  side  distorts  the  length 
of  the  face  while  if  viewed  from  the  bottom  or  chin 
side  the  face  will  broaden  out  at  the  chin.  The 
same  effects  are  thus  produced  as  one  sees  in  convex 
mirrors. 

While  it  is  possible  to  take  photographs  by  moon- 
light, by  prolonged  exposure,  most  of  the  so-called  moon- 
light photographs  that  we  see  are  simply  day  views. 
Many  of  these  so-called  moonlight  views  are  the  result 
of  accident  and  overexposure  but  some  are  purposely 
taken  for  such  effects.  Views  on  lakes  and  rivers  with 
the  moonlight  coming  from  behind  a  bank  of  fine  clouds 
and  the  moonbeams  shining  across  the  water  are  favorite 
ones.  These  views  are  usually  taken  late  in  the  after- 
noon when  the  sun  is  low  and  is  just  hidden  behind  a 
bank  of  clouds.  The  lens  is  pointed  directly  at  the 
sun  and  the  shortest  possible  exposure  made.  The  re- 
sult is  a  night  view  to  all  intents  and  purposes.  Very 
pretty  effects  m;iy  be  secured  in  moonlit  wooH  views  at 


An  Imitation  Moonlight. 


"^'f^Mi^fSBS 

iiigf 

HT'^^^^N.. 

A   Genuine   Moonlijjht, 


IN   THEORY    AND    PRACTICE.  173 

about  sun-down  by  slight  overexposures.  Select  a  piece 
of  woods  with  open  ground  to  the  west  for  free  admis- 
sion of  the  sunlight,  which  will  cast  long  dark  shadows. 
The  camera  should  be  faced  to  the  north  or  south  so  that 
the  shadows  appear  and  the  exposure  is  prolonged  so 
that  the  contrasts  are  considerable. 

The  accompanying  illustration  is  made  from  a  genuine 
moonlight  view  taken  with  a  five  dollar  camera  on  a  win- 
ter evening.  The  camera  was  placed  in  position  on  the 
end  of  a  long  pier,  extending  out  into  Lake  Michigan, 
at  7:45  and  was  left  there  until  9:45.  The  moon  was 
full  and  about  two  hours  from  the  zenith,  being  nearly  in 
front  of  the  camera  but  not  enough  so  to  allow  the 
rays  to  enter  the  lens.  The  moon  did  not  shine  brightly, 
the  atmosphere  being  somewhat  haz}'.  This  view  was 
taken  as  an  experiment  by  Mr.  L.  L.  Northup,  of  South 
Haven,  Mich. 

Perhaps  one  of  the  most  difficult  tasks  in  photography 
is  to  get  a  first-class  negative  of  a  room  showing  not 
only  the  windows  but  also  the  landscape  out  of  doors. 
While  non-halation  plates  produce  wonderful  results  in  a 
way,  there  are  cases  in  which  even  with  their  aid  it  is  im- 
possible to  get  a  negative,  the  resulting  print  from  which 
does  not  show  a  blur,  which  entirely  destroys  the  beauty 
of  the  picture.  The  reader  is  invited  to  carefully  study 
the  accompanying  illustration  and  guess  how  it  was  done. 
It  was  taken  on  a  Cramer  Crown  plate,  unbacked,  by 
Mr.  Chas   E.  Jacoby,  Sioux  Rapids,  la.     Mr.Jacoby  de 


1^4  MODERN  PHOTOGRAPHY 

scribes  the  taking  of  this  picture  as  follows :  I  set  up  my 
camera  and  focused  it  for  inside  and  out  and  stopped  it 
down  so  everything  would  be  sharp.  I  then  went  to  my 
gallery  and  got  a  large  piece  of  black  felt  with  which  I 
covered  the  two  windows  to  be  taken  on  the  outside  and 
then  over  this  still  spread  another  thick  piece,  which 
shut  out  all  light,  having  the  dead  black  next  to  the 
glass.  Thus  it  would  make  no  exposure  on  the  dry  plate 
where  the  outside  view  should  come.  I  then  went  in- 
side, drew  my  slide  and  made  a  thirteen  minute  exposure 
of  the  room,  closed  the  shutter  (I  avoided  putting  the 
slide  in  the  plate  holder  at  this  time  for  fear  the  camera 
would  be  moved  a  little  before  the  second  exposure, 
thus  spoiling  the  outline  of  the  window),  went  outside, 
took  down  the  dark  cloths,  arranged  the  subjects  out  of 
doors  and  made  another  exposure  on  the  same  plate 
through  the  window.  The  second  was  a  short  exposure, 
which  on  account  of  the  size  of  the  stop  was  about  one 
and  one-half  second  in  length  and  thus  had  no  effect  on 
the  exposure  of  the  room  which  was  thirteen  minutes. 
The  plate  was  then  developed  in  the  ordinary  manner. 
During  the  long  evenings  of  fall  and  winter  and  even 
during  summer  evenings  the  amateur  can  devote  his 
time  to  photography  if  he  so  desires.  Aside  from  ton- 
ing and  mounting,  making  of  Bromide,  Velox  and  other 
developing  paper  prints,  he  can  devote  his  time  profit- 
ably. Even  a  stormy  evening  is  not  devoid  of  all  in- 
terest to  the  amateur  photographer,  for  if  the  conditions 


Lightning. 


G.  r.  Sti-rlini,',  Dotr.Mt. 


IN    THEORY    AND    PRACTICE.  1 75 

are  right  he  can  secure  one  or  more  lightning  negatives. 
Select  a  window  facing  that  portion  of  the  sky  in  which 
the  lightning  is  appearing.  Set  your  focus  for  the  point 
lOO  feet  or  more  away.  Put  in  your  plate  holder,  draw 
the  sHde,  open  the  shutter  and  wait  for  the  flash.  As 
soon  as  the  flash  has  appeared  close  your  shutter  at  once, 
as  a  second  flash  might  destroy  the  effect.  Select  a  pos- 
ition where  as  little  artificial  light  as  possible  is  visible 
and  use  the  largest  stop.  The  accompanying  illustration 
was  made  from  a  photograph  taken  at  Island  Lake,  Mich., 
by  Mr.  George  F.  Sterling  of  Detroit  and  is  wonderfully 
clear.  Note  the  reflection  of  the  lightning  on  the  top  of 
the  shed  and  between  the  railroad  tracks. 


CHAPTllR  XII. 

Conditions  govern  night  as  well  as  day  photography, 
although  the  same  rules  do  not  apply  in  both  cases. 
Halation  and  reflection  are,  however,  prime  factors  in 
night  photography  and  must  under  all  conditions  be  con- 
sidered if  we  wish  an  artistic  picture.  This  will  perha[>3 
be  made  clearer  by  a  study  of  the  accompanying  night 
views.  These  views  were  both  taken  on  State  street, 
Chicago,  during  the  Peace  Jubilee,  when  the  street  was 
lighted  by  means  of  incandescent  lights  strung  from  one 
side  to  the  other.  It  will  be  noted  in  the  first  picture 
that  the  foreground  is  absolutely  devoid  of  all  detail. 
The  night  was  clear  and  dry  and  the  consequence  was 
there  was  no  reflection  from  the  sidewalks  or  pave- 
ment. The  streak  of  light  at  the  right  hand  side  of  the 
picture  was  caused  by  the  headlights  of  the  cable  cars 
which  passed  regularly  every  three  minutes.  The  hala- 
tion around  the  electric  lights  is  considerable,  showing 
clearly  that  a  non-halation  plate  should  have  been  used. 
This  picture  was  taken  on  a  medium  isochromatic  plate, 
stopy"45,  time  35  minutes.  If  you  will  now  turn  to  the 
next  picture  a  marked  difference  will  be  noted.  This  was 
taken  on  a  rainy  night  and  the  wet  side  walks  and  stone 
paving  blocks  reflected  the  light  so  that  the  details  of  the 
foreground  are  nearly  as  good  as  though  tne  picture  waa 

17fi 


S^    JQ_ 


2  ^ 


Z      -3 


IN  THEORY  AND  PRACTICE.  I77 

taken  in  the  daytime.  The  negative  was  taken  by  Mr. 
J.  W.  McCaslin,  Chicago,  on  a  non-halation  plate,  y  22 
stop  and  i  ^  hours  exposure.  Development  50  min- 
utes. The  cable  cars  were  constantly  passing  and  it 
was  necessary  to  shut  off  the  light  repeatedly  while  they 
passed.  In  this  way  the  streak  of  light  which  appears 
in  the  other  view  was  avoided  and  the  only  indication 
of  it  that  we  can  see  is  the  reflection  on  the  windows  on 
the  right.  About  half  way  down  the  block,  on  the 
fourth  story  of  the  building,  was  a  large  sign  made  of 
red,  white  and  blue  incandescent  lights,  which  read,  A. 
M.  Rothschild  &  Co.  The  A.  O.  S.  I.  and  &  were  in 
red  lights  and  these  are  entirely  lost  in  the  picture, 
while  the  white  and  blue  letters  come  out  distinctly. 

The  next  illustration  was  made  from  a  photograph  of 
one  of  the  Peace  Jubilee  arches  taken  at  9  o'clock  in  the 
evening.  This  also  shows  great  halation  and  the  want 
of  a  non-halation  plate,  although  the  small  portraits  of 
the  army  officers  come  out  nearly  as  distinctly  as  in  the 
day  view  directly  under  it.  The  latter  is  a  splendid 
negative  taken  by  a  Chicago  amateur,  Henry  G.  Mohr, 
on  a  Cramer  Crown  plate, _/"  32  stop,  time  i  second.  The 
night  scene  of  the  arch  was  taken  on  a  medium  isochro- 
matic  plate,  withy'  32  stop,  in  15  minutes.  It  is  some- 
what difficult  to  give  more  than  a  rough  approximation 
of  the  time  required  for  night  photography,  much  depend- 
ing on  the  number  and  power  of  the  lights  but  the  fol- 
owing  exposures  may  be  a  clue  to  approximate  exposure: 


178 


Modern  thotography 


Night. 

Lights. 

Stop. 

Plate. 

TiMH. 

Moonlight. 

Gas. 

/8 

Rapid  Iso. 

30  min. 

Moonlight. 

Gas  &  Elec. 

/8 

Rapid  Iso. 

20  min. 

Fair— no  Moon. 

Electric. 

/8 

Seed  26  X. 

12  min. 

Wet. 

Electric, 

/8 

Rapid  Iso. 

10  min. 

Wet. 

Electric. 

f^ 

Non-Halation. 

2  min. 

Interiors,  portraits,  etc.,  may  also  be  taken  in  the 
evening  by  the  aid  of  oil  and  gas  light,  with  very  artistic 
results.  For  a  portrait  the  subject  will  have  to  be  posed 
in  a  very  comfortable  position,  for  the  exposure  required 
is  lengthy,  for  it  will  vary  from  three  to  seven  minutes, 
depending  on  the  amount  of  light.  A  lamp  with  a  silk 
shade  may  be  introduced  and  adds  materially  to  the 
effectiveness  of  portraits  taken  at  night.  The  lamp 
should  be  turned  down  low  in  order  not  to  fog  the  plate 
and  the  shade  should  cover  the  flame.  The  figure 
should  be  so  lighted  that  all  the  light  apparently  comes 
from  the  lamp  in  view,  while  in  reality  it  comes  from  one 
or  two  lamps  placed  outside  the  angle  of  view  of  the 
lens.  Care  must  be  exercised,  however,  to  have  the 
light  face  in  such  a  way  that  there  will  be  no  cross 
lights.  Should  it  be  thought  necessary  to  have  a  naked 
light  appear  in  the  picture,  as  a  candle,  tire  in  the  grate, 
etc.,  the  actual  exposure  should  first  be  made  before  the 
candle  or  fire  is  lighted  and  the  lens  capped.  The  light- 
ing can  then  be  done  and  a  second  or  two  seconds  further 


I 


The  Arch  by  Night. 


The   Arch  by  Day. 


IN   THEORY    AND    PRACTICE.  1 79 

exposure  will  be  sufficient  to  introduce  the  light.  Wels- 
bach  lights  will  be  found  very  useful  for  night  photog- 
raphy and  owing  to  the  intense  white  light,  they  materi- 
ally shorten  the  exposure. 


THAPTER  XHL 

Stereoscopic  photography  does  not  seem  to  be  popu- 
lar with  amateurs  although  it  is  the  most  perfect  manner 
in  which  a  scene  can  be  reproduced.  It  has  doubtless 
been  unpopular  solely  on  account  of  the  extra  work  in- 
volved. As  a  rule  the  amateur  is  looking  for  good  re- 
sults by  the  shortest  methods.  It  is  hardly  necessary 
here  to  explain  the  theory  of  stereoscopic  photography 
but  suffice  it  to  say,  that  comparatively  speaking,  an  or- 
dinary photograph  is  fiat  and  wanting  in  detail  when 
compared  with  an  equally  good  stereoscopic  view.  The 
latter  view  gives  a  roundness  and  natural  effect  to  all  the 
objects  in  the  scene  and  particularly  those  objects  in  the 
immediate  foreground.  This  characteristic  is  what 
makes  the  stereoscopic  picture  the  very  closest  thing  to 
nature.  The  rocks,  the  grass,  the  trees,  all  stand  out 
boldly  as  they  do  when  viewed  in  nature.  Scenes  and 
objects  vvith  minute  detail,  which  would  be  entirely  lost 
in  an  ordinary  photograph,  are  the  very  choicest  sub- 
jects for  stereoscopic  views.  Snow  scenes,  apple  and 
cherry  trees  in  full  bloom  and  similar  subjects  in 
which  the  close  detail  is  lost  on  printmg  paper,  show 
their  full  beauty  under  the  stereoscope. 

Stereoscopic  cameras  are  built  by  many  of  the  lead- 
ing manufacturers  but  are  usually  intended  for  tripod  use. 

180 


IN    THEORV    AND    PRACTICE. 


l8l 


The  Vive  Stereoscopic  Camera,  which  is  shown  in  Fig. 
38  is  applicable  either  for  hand  or  tripod  use.  This 
camera  takes  two  pictm-es  of  the  same  scene,  33^  x  3^ 
inches  on  the  same  plate  at  one  exposure.     The  camera 


Fig.  38. 


is  fitted  to  use  either  cut  films  or  glass  plates  and  the 
size  of  the  plate  is  3^  x  6^.  If  desired  each  lens  can 
be  worked  separately,  so  that  two  entirely  different  sub- 
jects can  be  taken  on  the  same  plate. 


I«2 


MODERN    PHOTOGRAPHY 


In  all  stereoscopic  cameras  the  two  lenses  are  of  course 
matched  and  they  are  usually  about  three  inches  apart, 
from  center  to  center,  this  being  the  distance  that  the 
average  eyes  are  apart.  The  lenses  might  be  as  near 
as  two  and  a  half  or  as  far  apart  as  four  inches  and  still 
produce  stereoscopic  pictures  but  much  depends  on  the 
lenses.  Stereoscopic  pictures  may  also  be  taken  with 
ordinary  hand  cameras  by  constructing  a  very  simple 
mechanism  but  the  scenes  must  be  limited  to  still  life 
Any  amateur  who  is  handy  with  carpenter's  tools  can 
make  the  attachment  or  your  carpenter  will  make  it  for 

you  for  a  small  sum.  To 
start  with  let  us  assume  that 
you  have  a  box  camera  whose 
base  is  say  5^4  x  7^  in. 
Select  a  piece  of  well-sea- 
soned white  wood,  pine  or 
cherry  lumber,  a  half  inch 
thick  and  53^x73^  inches  in 
dimensions.  This  will  act  as 
the  base  for  the  camera.  A  hole  which  will  just  take 
the  camera  screw  is  bored  in  the  exact  center  and  a  small 
frame  whose  outside  dimensions  are  4x6  inches  is 
nailed  in  the  center,  so  as  to  leave  a  'i^  inch  margin  all 
around.  You  now  have  a  piece  similar  to  that  shown  in 
Fig.  39.  The  frame  may  be  either  mitered  or  square 
as  taste  dictates.  Now  select  another  piece  of  board 
5^2  X  10 1^  inches  and  nail  to  this  a   frame  of  the  same 


Fig- 39- 


IN   THEORY    AND    PRACTICE. 


183 


/■ 


Fig.  40. 


dimensions  made  of  ^  inch  square  stuff  and  you  will 
have  a  piece  similar  to  Fig.  40.  Bore  a  hole  in  this 
and  in  this  hole  insert  a  tripod  screw  nut,  the  same  as  is 
fitted  in  the  bottom  of  your  camera.     An  extra  tripod 

screw  will  have  to 
be  purchased  for 
use  in  the  piece 
shown  at  Fig.  39. 
The  piece  shown 
at  Fig.  40  is  now 
fastened  by  means 
of  the  tripod  screw 
to  the  head  of  the 
tripod,  where  the  camera  usually  rests.  The  smaller 
piece  or  slide,  shown  in  Fig.  39  is  fastened  to  the  bottom 
of  the  camera  by  means  of  the  extra  tripod  screw, 
the  smooth  side  of 
the  board  to  the 
bottom  of  the 
camera.  When  the 
slide  is  placed  on 
top  of  the  large 
base  board  it  pre- 
sents an  appearance 
similar  to  Fig.  41. 
It  can  be  shifted  back  and  forth,  from  right  to  left, 
just  three  inches,  the  frame  on  the  small  sliding  piece 
acting  as  a  stop  at  both  ends  and  as  guides  at  the  side. 


/ 


Fig.  4t. 


184  MODERN    PHOTOGRAPHY 

It  is  quite  evident  that  if  we  screw  the  camera  to  the 
top  slide,  move  it  over  to  the  ri^^ht  and  expose  a  plate, 
then  move  it  three  inches  to  the  left  and  immediately  ex- 
pose another,  that  the  result  will  be  two  negatives,  similar 
to  those  produced  by  a  stereoscopic  camera,  except  that 
in  the  latter  the  two  views  are  on  one  plate.  Care  will 
have  to  be  exercised  to  either  mark  the  plate  holders 
"right"  and  "left"  or  to  keep  a  record  of  them,  for  it  is 
absolutely  necessary  to  know  which  is  which  when  we 
come  to  mount  the  prints  as  will  be  explained  later.  In 
taking  views  for  stereoscopic  purposes  with  a  single  lens 
camera  there  are  several  points  which  will  have  to  be 
guarded  carefully.  Motion  of  all  kinds  will  have  to  be 
excluded;  moving  figures,  leaves,  etc.  This  is  not  the 
case  with  the  regular  stereoscopic  camera  for  with  it 
we  can  take  snap  shots  or  time  exposures.  Again  with 
the  single  lens  we  must  carefully  watch  the  light  and 
give  exact  exposures  to  both  plates  or  the  result  will 
be  an  imperfect  picture.  Should  a  cloud  pass  over 
the  sun  after  we  have  taken  the  first  picture  we  will 
have  to  wait  until  the  sun  comes  out  again  or  the  nega- 
tives would  not  be  mates. 

The  exposure  for  stereoscopic  negatives  is  done  as 
with  ordinary  scenes  except  that  a  little  over  rather  than 
a  little  under  exposure  is  better.  The  development 
should  be  carried  on  as  with  ordinary  exposures.  Any 
ordinary  printing  out  paper  will  make  good  stereoscopic 
views  but  silver  paper  and  collodion  and  gelatine  papers 


IN    THEORY    AND    PRACTICE.  185 

produce  better  results  than  bromides  and  platinotypes. 
A  smooth  paper  with  a  brownish  tone  will  give  better  re- 
sults than  a  rougher  paper  or  a  blacker  tone.  Brilliant 
prints  are  not  a  necessity  and  in  fact  are  a  detriment,  for 
when  viewed  through  the  stereoscope  they  look  fuzzy 
and  glaring  instead  of  soft.  In  printing  from  a  regu- 
lar stereoscopic  camera  negative,  a  special  printing 
frame  is  necessary,  as  the  plate  is  longer  and  nar- 
rower than  the  average,  or  a  large  printing  frame  may 
be  used  with  a  plain  glass  in  it  and  the  stereo-nega- 
tive placed  on  the  plain  glass.  When  printing  from 
two  negatives  made  from  a  single  lens  it  will  be  found 
desirable  also  to  use  a  large  frame  with  plain  glass, 
so  that  both  negatives  may  be  printed  at  the  same  time 
and  the  color  kept  uniform  thereby.  The  prints  should 
be  numbered  and  marked  on  the  back  with  a  lead  pen- 
cil so  that  they  can  be  sorted  out  in  pairs  after  toning 
and  washing,  otherwise  you  will  get  into  trouble.  After 
printing  mark  the  backs  i-R,  i-L,  2-R,  2-L,  etc.  and 
you  will  have  no  trouble  in  sorting  them  out. 

If  you  are  printing  from  a  single  plate  made  in  a 
stereo-camera  you  will  note  that  the  view  taken  by 
the  right  hand  lens  is  on  the  left  hand  side  of  the 
plate  and  vice  versa.  This  being  the  case  you  will 
have  to  cut  the  views  apart,  after  toning,  washing  and 
drying  and  transpose  them,  so  that  the  view  taken  by 
the  right  hand  lens  will  be  opposite  the  right  eye  when 
viewed  through  the  stereoscope  and  vice  versa.     The 


I 86  MODERN    PHOTOGRAPHY 

trimming  of  stereoscopic  prints  is  of  prime  importance 
for  if  they  are  not  properly  trimmed  and  mounted  all  the 
effect  is  lost.  Some  prominent  object  as  a  stump,  stone 
or  fence  should  be  selected  in  the  foreground  as  a  guide 
point  and  the  print  trimmed  from  it.  We  will  suppose 
in  our  example  that  there  is  a  stump  in  the  foreground. 
In  trimming  the  two  prints  this  stump  must  be  the  sam.e 
distance  fror^j  the  bottom  edge  of  print  and  the  two  prints 
the  same  size  in  height.  In  trimming  the  sides,  however, 
we  take  another  course.  We  again  take  the  stump  as  a 
base  mark  and  in  trimming  the  right-hand  print  we  al- 
low a  quarter  of  an  inch  more  to  show  on  the  left  of 
the  stump  than  shows  on  the  left  of  the  other  print 
and  in  trimming  the  two  prints  to  the  same  size  we 
naturally  have  a  quarter  inch  more  space  showing  on  the 
right-hand  side  of  the  stump  than  appeared  on  the  right- 
hand  print.  This  will  be  made  clear  after  you  have 
trimmed  and  mounted  your  hrst  prints  and  viewed  them 
in  the  stereoscope  or  you  will  perhaps  grasp  the  idea 
better  by  examining  a  ready-made  stereo-picture.  In 
mounting,  about  a  quarter  of  an  inch  should  be  left 
between  the  two  pictures  on  the  card  and  a  dark  mount 
is  preferable  to  a  light  colored  one. 

During  the  last  few  years  considerable  attention  has 
been  paid  to  panoramic  views  by  amateurs.  These 
views  are  usually  made  by  means  of  the  ordinary  box 
camera  by  shifting  it  on  the  tripod  from  left  to  right. 
Two,  three    and   sometimes  four    exposures  are    made 


IN    THEORY   AND   PRACTICE.  1 87 

trom  the  same  point  by  simply  turning  the  camera 
slightly  on  the  tripod  screw.  It  is  important  to  study 
the  scene  before  you  carefully,  so  as  to  determine  where 
the  joining  shall  take  place.  As  a  rule,  it  is  better  to  join 
at  the  edge  of  a  building,  tall  tree,  or  some  such  object 
which  cuts  well  into  the  sky,  as  the  joining  is  less  liable 
to  be  noticed.  Starting  at  the  center,  the  view  is  care- 
fully focused  and  if  it  is  intended  to  make  a  three-piece 
panorama,  the  prominent  objects  to  the  right  or  left  are 
indicated  by  vertical  pencil  marks  on  the  ground  glass. 
The  camera  is  then  swung  to  the  left  and  placed  in  such 
a  position  that  the  image  on  the  ground  glass  shows  that 
the  tree  or  prominent  object  whose  location  was  noted 
by  means  of  the  pencil  line  on  the  left  of  the  ground 
glass,  just  overlaps  that  line.  The  exposure  is  then 
made,  the  camera  moved  to  the  center,  the  next  ex- 
posure made  and  then  swung  to  the  right.  In  each  in- 
stance the  subject  should  lap,  say  three-eighths  of  an  inch 
for  safety  and  even  a  half-inch  is  better,  then  in  case  of 
any  frilling  at  the  edge  of  the  plate  you  are  still  safe.  A 
special  printing  frame,  long  enough  to  take  a  sheet  of 
paper  which  will  cover  all  three  negatives,  is  procured. 
Special  frames  for  panoramic  printing  are  now  to  be  had 
on  the  market.  The  backs  are  arranged  to  open  in 
three  and  four  compartments.  The  center  negative  is 
placed  in  position  and  the  balance  of  the  opening  in  the 
printing  frame  is  blocked  out  by  means  of  black  card- 
Doard.  The  sides  of  the  center  negative  are  also  blocked 


l88  MODERN    PHOTOGRAPHY 

out  up  to  the  point  where  you  wish  the  joining.  The 
center  is  then  printed,  the  center  negative  removed  and 
the  left  hand  negative  placed  in  position  to  the  left  in  the 
printing  frme.  The  right  hand  side  of  the  negative  is 
now  blocked  out  up  to  the  line  where  it  joins  the  center 
one,  the  balance  of  the  frame  blocked  with  black  card- 
board and  the  printing  proceeded  with.  The  right  hand 
negative  is  treated  in  similar  manner  and  the  print  is 
then  ready  for  toning. 

All  this,  of  course,  means  work  and  for  this  reason  a 
special  camera  has  been  placed  on  the  market,  which  is 
known  as  the  ""  Al- Vista."  It  is  a  panoramic  camera 
which  makes  negatives  4x12  inches  in  size.  This  cam- 
era enables  the  operator  to  take  in  a  scope  of  nearly  180 
degrees,  or  half  a  circle.  The  size  of  the  camera  is 
5x5^x10^  inches  and  it  weighs  but  a  little  over  2 
lbs.  when  ready  to  operate. 

Fig.  42  shows  a  front  view  of  the  camera  before  ex- 
posure. You  will  note  that  the  lens  is  pointing  towards 
the  right  as  we  look  at  the  camera  from  the  front.  The 
exposures  are  made  on  a  roll  tilm  and  the  film  passes 
from  one  side  of  the  box  to  the  other,  not  in  a  straight 
line,  as  in  ordinary  roll  film  cameras  but  in  a  half  circle. 
The  back  of  the  box  has  a  semi-circular  groove  and  the 
film  follows  this  circle,  as  you  will  see  by  consulting  Fig. 
43.  You  will  see  why,  when  you  understand  the  action 
of  the  camera.  When  all  is  ready  you  start  the  mechan- 
ism and  the   lens  sweeps  from  right  to  left,  as  you  view 


IN    THEORY    AND    PRACTICE. 


ltJ9 


it  from  the  front.     In  making  this  sweep  the  film  must 

\     necessarily  be   on  a   half  circle  in  order  that  the   lens 

be  the  same  distance  from  the  film  at   every  stage  of 


Fig.  43. 

its  turning.      When  the    sweep  is    completed  the    lens 
points   to  the  left,  or  opposite  to   where   it   started,  as 


I  ■■;    4j. 


shown  in  Fig.  44.  When  the  exposure  is  made  the  film 
is  wound  up  for  another  exposure,  there  being  an  indi- 
cator which  shows  when  enough  film  has  been  brought 


ipO  MODERN    PHOTOGRAPHY 

into  position.  The  film  is  perforated  by  a  punch,  which 
shows  where  it  is  to  be  cut  off.  then  you  are  ready  to 
develop  in  the  dark  room. 

The  mechanism  operating  the  lens  is  so  constructed 
that  you  can  change  the  speed,  fast  or  slow,  according 
to  the  light.     The  light  coming    through  the  lens  does 


fig-  4t- 

not  strike  the  film  in  a  circle  as  in  other  cameras  and 
you  can  readily  see  that  the  angle  of  the  most  narrow 
angle  lens  would  be  so  wide  as  to  produce  a  blur  on 
account  of  a  double  impression  in  some  places.  This  is 
obviated  by  means  of  a  funnel-shaped  tube  extending 
back  from  the  lens  about  3^  inches  but  the  end  of  the 
funnel  is  not  round  but  a  rectangular  slit,  which  allows 
onlv  a  streak  of  light  to  strike  the  film  at  one  time.  Any 
four-inch  daylight  loading  film  may  be  used  in  this 
camera. 


J 


Time  1-50  second. 


Cloud  Effects. 
qMdde  on  Ordinary  Tlaies  Without  Color  Screen. 


Henry  G.  Al.l>. 


CHAPTER  XIV, 

In  Chapter  III  the  attention  of  the  reader  was  called 
to  the  fact  that  light  is  made  up  of  several  colors,  red, 
yellow,  orange,  green,  blue,  indigo  and  violet  and  that 
blue,  indigo,  violet  and  green  rays  act  more  quickly  than 
do  the  red,  yellow  and  orange  ones.  It  was  also  explained 
that  if  we  expose  a  plate  just  long  enough  for  the  blue 
and  violet  rays,  then  we  will  probably  under  expose  it 
for  the  red  and  yellow  ones  and  that  to  have  a  perfect 
negative  we  must  in  some  wa}'  correct  the  color  value 
by  reducing  all  to  a  common  value,  or  as  nearly  so  as  pos- 
sible. This  correction  is  partially  effected  in  two  ways, 
either  by  the  use  of  Isochromatic  or  Orthochromatic 
plates  and  color  screens,  or  by  the  use  of  color  screens 
in  conjunction  with  ordinary  plates.  These  color  sensi- 
tive plates  in  conjunction  with  color  screens,  or  ray  fil- 
ters, as  they  are  sometimes  known,  are  very  useful  in 
photographing  flowers,  clouds  and  other  objects  and 
scenes  where  it  is  advisable  to  have  the  proper  relative 
color  values.  In  these  days  of  quick-working  lenses, 
shutters  and  plates,  we  find  a  greater  percentage  of 
cloud  effects  than  formerly. 

The  photographing  of  clouds,  by  themselves  or  in 
conjunction  with  a  marine  or  landscape,  is  highly  inter- 
esting  and   the  addition  of  clouds  to  the  ordinary  view 

191 


192  m6dern   photography 

adds  to  it  at  least  fifty  per  cent  in  value  from  an  artistic 
standpoint.  Almost  any  lens  will  answer  for  photo- 
graphing clouds  by  themselves  but  it  is  not  every  lens 
which  will  bring  them  out  in  conjunction  with  a  land- 
scape. It  is  not  absolutely  necessary  to  use  either  color 
sensitive  plates  or  color  screens  in  order  to  insure  tne 
production  of  clouds  in  your  landscape,  for  a  proper 
lens  and  fast  plates  will  very  often  result  in  first- class 
cloud  effects,  as  the  accompanying  illustration  proves; 
but  the  cloud  effects  will  certainly  be  enhanced  by  the 
use  of  color  sensitive  plates  alone  and  a  greater  improve- 
ment made  by  the  use  of  such  plates  in  conjunction  with 
color  screens. 

Color  screens  or  ray  filters  are  made  in  several  ways. 
The  coloring  matters  usually  employed  are  Auramine, 
Bichromate  of  Potash  and  Picrate  of  Ammonium  for 
color  values  on  sky  negatives  and  subjects  whose  tones 
incline  to  blue,  indigo,  violet  and  green.  These  coloring 
matters  are  employed  in  several  different  ways  Some 
color  screens  are  made  of  mica,  colored  with  one  of  the 
above  ingredients,  others  consist  of  glass  cells  contain- 
ing the  coloring  matter  in  solution  and  others  consist  of 
glass  plates.  The  great  objection  to  the  color  screens 
on  the  market  is  that  as  a  rule  they  are  too  deep  or 
strong  in  color.  This  strength  not  only  prolongs  ex- 
posures from  twenty  to  forty  times  but  the  results  are 
unnatural  pictures.  We  have  seen  color  screens  in  the 
form  of  cells  containing  a  saturated  solution  of   bichro- 


IN  THEORY  AND  PRACTICE.  I93 

mate  of  potash.  Sach  cells  make  necessary  an  exposure 
forty  times  the  length  of  the  normal  and  the  result  is 
an  intensely  black  sky  with  white  clouds,  a  thing  never 
seen  in  nature.  The  manufacturers  claim  that  the  screen 
is  built  on  scientific  principles  and  tested  b}'  the  spectro- 
scope and  found  correct.  This  may  be  true  and  if  it  is, 
then  we  do  not  want  scientific  effects,  for  they  are  cer- 
tainly unnatural.  While  the  clouds  stand  out  beautifully 
the  background  is  certainly  unlike  anything  in  nature. 
For  this  reason  care  must  be  exercised  in  the  selection 
of  color.  A  saturated  solution  of  picrate  of  ammonia 
produces  a  light  yellow  which  requires  but  very  little 
further  reduction  if  used  with  lacquer  or  gelatine  but 
if  used  as  a  solution  in  a  glass  cell  it  can  be  slightly  re- 
duced. We  have  used  a  bichromate  solution  which  con- 
sisted of  one  dram  of  saturated  solution  to  4  drams  of 
lacquer  and  found  that  that  was  fully  strong  enough 
for  the  darkest  screen.  Our  best  results  have  been 
from  screens  made  of  lantern  slide  cover  glasses,  coated 
with  lacquer  which  was  colored  with  picrate  of  ammo- 
nium. A  saturated  solution  of  the  picrate  was  made  by 
mixing  with  the  lacquer.  Three  different  screens  were  all 
made  very  light  in  tone  and  where  a  darker  tone  was 
desired  one  glass  was  placed  in  front  of  the  other.  Fig. 
45  illustrates  a  front  and  top  view  of  the  holder  for  these 
screens.  The  body  of  the  holder  is  made  of  hard  rub- 
ber, turned  from  one  piece,  it  being  square  in  front  and 
turned  down  at  the  back,  leaving  a  cap  to   fit  over  the 


194 


MODERN  PHOTOGRAPHY 


Fig.  45- 


front  of  the  lens.  This  cap  is  hned  with  a  piece  of 
chamois  leather.  The  front  has  a  frame  made  of  light 
brass  with  the  top  quarter  of  the  frame  removed.  This 
frame  sets  out  far  enough  from  the  rubber  body  to  admit 

of  the  insertion  of  two  screens, 
one  in  front  of  the  other,  with 
a  bar  between  them.  The  so- 
lution side  of  the  color  screen 
is,  after  testing  and  being  found 
correct,  to  be  covered  with  an- 
other cover  glass  and  the  two 
held  together  by  means  of  a 
bindmg  of  tin  foil.  A  wire  loop  is  fastened  to  the  top,  so 
the  screens  can  be  easily  removed.  Instead  of  lacquer, 
gelatine  may  be  used.  A  saturated  solution  of  the 
picrate  is  made  and  to  each  ounce  of  this  solution  \  5 
grains  of  gelatine  are  added  and  then  alcohol  enough 
to  bring  it  to  the  required  shade.  Before  using  either 
the  picrate  or  any  other  solution,  it  should  first  be 
filtered  through  a  clean  piece  of  fine  linen  to  remove  any 
lumps  or  grains.  If  preferred,  the  various  density  of 
plates  may  be  secured  by  first  starting  with  a  very  light 
color,  darkening  by  additional  applications  of  the  lacquer 
or  gelatine  but  our  experience  is  that  a  light  film  is  better 
than  a  heavy  one.  Another  method  is  to  put  unexposed 
lantern  slides  into  a  hypo  bath,  clear  them  up  thoroughly, 
wash  and  then  apply  the  solution  to  the  film.  The  plates 
must  be  fresh  to  accomplish  good  results  in  this  way. 


IN    THEORY    AND    PRACTICE. 


195 


V/////////A 


Fig.  4f>- 


The  Government  Weather  Bureau  at  Washington 
employ  the  solutions  in  glass  cells.  Fig.  46  gives  an 
idea  of  how  these  cells  are  made.  The  frame  is  made 
of  coik,  although  wood  or  hard  rubber  might  be  substi- 
tuted. A  ring  of  glass  cut  from  a  tube  about  the  cir- 
cumference of  a  lens  and  with  the  sides  ground  perfectly 
flat  with  emery  is  cemented 
between  two  thin  pieces  of 
plate  glass.  This  ring  has 
a  small  hole  at  the  top  for 
the  insertion  and  removal  of 
the  solution  and  this  hole  is 
stopped  with  a  small  metal 
plug.  The  illustration  to  the 
left  shows  the  completed  screen  in  place  on  the  lens. 
The  glass  ring  is  cemented  to  the  square  glasses  by 
means  of  Canada  balsam.  If  alcohol  is  used  as  a  base 
for  the  solution  much  difficulty  will  be  encountered 
in  preventing  the  cell  from  leaking  and  silicate  of 
soda  or  soluble  glass  will  then  be  found  better  as  a  ce- 
ment. The  cell  is  filled  and  then  fits,  friction  tight  into 
the  square  in  the  cork  frame.  It  is  much  easier  to  make 
the  cell  in  this  form  than  where  round  glasses  are  fitted 
into  a  metal  cylinder  and  less  chance  for  leakage.  Its 
other  good  points  are  that  several  different  densities  of 
cells  can  be  used  in  the  one  frame  and  one  can  be  pushed 
out  and  a  new  one  inserted  without  trouble.  The  ring 
of    glass  must  be    the    same    width  all    around,  other- 


196  MODERN    PHOTOGRAPHY 

wise  the  screen  would  be  denser  in  one  place  than  an- 
other on  account  of  the  excess  of  fluid.  The  Weather 
Bureau  people  emplo}'  a  saturated  solution  of  bichro- 
mate of  potash.  They  secure  thereby  very  showy  but 
very  unnatural  negatives  and  prints.  If  thev  were  to 
reduce  the  density  much  more  natural  effects  would 
follow. 

Other  colors  can  be  used  with  equal  advantages  on 
certain  kinds  of  color  work.  Emerald  green  can  be 
made  into  a  solution  and  used  in  the  liquid  form  or  to 
coat  the  plate  by  means  of  lacquer.  Methyl  violet  may 
also  be  used  to  advantage.  These  screens  are  useful  in 
copying  water  color  and  oil  paintings.  In  order  that  the 
action  of  screens  may  be  fully  understood  by  the  amateur 
let  us  put  it  in  a  little  different  form. 

A  YELLOW  SCREEN  cuts  out  in  the  negative  the  blues  and  indigoes,  leaving  clear 
glass  in  their  place. 

A  GREEN  SCREEN  cuts  out  in  the  negative  the  reds  and  leaves  clear  glass  in 
their  place. 

A  VIOLET  SCREEN  cuts  out  in  the  negative  the  yellows  and  leaves  clear  glass  io 
their  place. 

The  above  refers  to  screens  of  dense  color  and  lighter 
screens  of  course  have  similar  effects,  thouch  in  a  less 
marked  degree.  From  this  it  will  be  seen  that  if  a  yel- 
low-orange screen  of  considerable  density  be  used  there 
will  be  clear  glass  where  the  blue  of  the  sky  would  be 
and  the  consequence  is  that  the  resulting  print  would  ap- 
pear as  white  clouds  on  a  black  background. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

Flash  light  photography  is  extensively  practiced  by 
amai?ur  photographers  with  varying  success.  The  ma- 
jority of  these  photographs  are  failures,  owing  to  the  fact 
that  the  person  or  group  is  left  in  total  darkness  or  nearly 
so  and  the  sudden  lighting  produces  a  startled  appear- 
ance on  the  faces  of  the  subjects.  Again  the  lighting  is 
nearly  always  on  one  side,  leaving  the  other  side  of  the 
faces  in  deep  shadow.  In  many  of  these  pictures  the  ef- 
fects are  highly  ridiculous,  as  some  persons  close  their 
eyes  when  they  catch  the  first  glimpse  of  the  flash  while 
in  others  the  pupils  are  so  dilated  as  to  have  a  very  start- 
ling effect.  To  get  good  effects  the  room  should  be  as 
brilliantly  lighted  as  possible  by  means  of  gas  or  oil  and 
the  lights  so  placed  as  to  soften  the  effect  of  the  flash. 

There  are  so  many  good  flash  lamps  on  the  market 
that  it  would  be  presumptuous  to  say  that  this  or  that 
one  is  the  best.  Any  of  the  modern  lamps  are  good 
and  when  handled  with  care  there  is  little  or  no  danger. 
Accidents  with  flash  lights  are  usually  attributable  to  two 
causes,  carelessness  in  the  location  of  the  lamp  or  the  use 
of  cheap  or  inferior  flash  light  powders.  When  placing 
the  lamp  in  position  see  that  there  are  no  lace  cur- 
tains or  other  inflammable  matter  in  close  proximity  to 
the  lamp.     As    a    rule  the  lamp   should  be  somewha*" 

197 


198  MODERN    PHOTOGRAPHY 

higher  than  the  lens.  The  person  or  group  should  be 
posed  away  from  the  wall  as  far  as  the  room  will  admit 
in  order  to  avoid  deep  shadows.  A  screen  covered  with 
white  cloth  and  placed  at  an  angle  on  the  side  opposite 
to  the  flash  lamp  but  so  it  will  not  show  on  the  ground 
glass,  will  tend  to  do  away  greatly  with  the  harshness 
by  reflecting  light  on  the  dark  side  of  the  faces.  The 
gas  or  other  artificial  lights  in  the  room  should  not  be 
allowed  to  shine  directly  into  the  lens. 

The  posing  being  to  your  satisfaction  proceed  to 
focus  on  the  ground  glass.  To  do  this  you  will  have 
to  place  a  lamp  or  candle  close  to  the  face  of  one  of  the 
persons  in  the  center  of  the  group.  Use  the  largest  stop, 
providing  it  will  give  you  fair  definition.  The  plate- 
holder  is  now  placed  in  position,  the  slide  removed  and 
you  are  ready  for  the  flash.  We  prefer  the  loose  pow- 
der but  the  prepared  cartridges  now  on  the  market  give 
very  good  results.  These  cartridges  are  provided  with 
fuses  ready  for  lighting.  Most  of  the  modern  flash 
lamps  ignite  the  powder  by  means  of  an  ordinary 
match.  By  pulling  a  trigger  the  match  is  ignited  and 
forced  through  an  opening  in  the  back  of  the  lamp 
by  means  of  a  spring,  thus  igniting  the  powder.  At 
all  times  keep  your  face  away  from  the  powder.  Never 
be  in  a  hurry  when  taking  a  flash  light  picture.  Do  not 
be  afraid  of  the  light  in  the  room  fogging  the  plate  but 
at  the  same  time  it  is  well  not  to  draw  the  slide  until  you 
are  ready  to  ignite  the  powder. 


IN  THEORY  AND  PRACTICE.  I99 

Sometimes  a  frame  covered  with  tissue  paper  or  cheese 
cloth  is  placed  between  the  sitter  and  the  lamp  in  order 
to  diffuse  the  light  but  if  such  a  screen  is  used  a  larger 
charge  of  powder  is  necessary.  Flash  lights  are  not 
only  useful  for  night  photographs  but  may  also  be  used 
to  advantage  in  the  day  time  in  making  exposures  of  in- 
teriors, especially  in  large  buildings  and  poorly  lighted 
rooms.  If  judiciously  used  they  are  also  a  great  help 
in  portraiture  during  the  day  time,  the  effect  being  much 
softer  than  when  used  at  night. 

Silhouette  pictures  may  also  be  made  by  means  of  the 
flash  light.  A  screen  of  cheese  cloth  or  sheeting  is 
placed  in  the  center  of  the  room  and  the  person  or  per- 
sons posed  in  front  of  it.  The  camera  is  then  focused 
by  placing  a  lamp  or  candle  close  to  the  face  of  the  sit- 
ter, the  shutter  opened  and  slide  removed.  All  lights 
are  then  turned  low  or  entirely  out.  A  flash  lamp  is 
placed  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  screen  from  the 
subject  or  subjects  and  the  flash  made.  The  result 
will  be  a  silhouette  picture  or  black  on  white.  These 
pictures  may  also  be  made  by  placing  the  screen  close  to 
a  window  and  cutting  off  all  light  except  that  which 
comes  through  the  screen.  The  person  is  then  posed 
in  front  of  the  screen  and  the  focusing  and  exposure 
done  in  the  ordinary  manner.  As  all  the  light  comes 
through  the  screen,  that  side  of  the  person  next  the 
camera  will  be  in  the  dark  and  the  result  will  be  a 
silhouette.     The  largest  stop  will  have  to  be  used  and 


2CX)  MODERN    PHOTOGRAPHY 

when  daylight  is  utilized  a  time  exposure  will  be  neces- 
sary, the  time  depending  on  the  size  of  the  screen 
and  window. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

The  making  of  lantern  slides  and  transparencies  al- 
though a  comparatively  simple  operation,  requires  care 
and  more  or  less  skill  and  experience  in  order  to  get 
good  results.  A  lantern  slide  or  transparency  is  really 
a  print  on  glass,  being  a  positive  and  presents  the  pic- 
ture exactly  as  viewed  in  nature.  They  are  made  in 
two  ways,  by  contact  and  by  means  of  the  camera. 
Slides  made  by  contact  reproduce  the  view  shown  by 
the  negative  in  exactly  the  same  size  as  the  negative 
does,  while  those  made  in  the  camera  are  on  a  smaller 
scale,  that  is,  the  view  shown  on  a  larger  plate  is  reduced 
in  size  to  go  on  a  lantern  slide  plate.  Special  plates  are 
made  for  the  purpose  and  American  lantern  slide  plates 
are  3^x4  inches  in  size.  English  lantern  slide  plates  are 
made  3^x334!  inches.  The  glass  in  these  plates  is  very 
thin  and  of  the  best  quality  and  the  coating  or  emulsion 
is  also  thin,  so  much  so  that  it  is  sometimes  extremely 
difficult  in  the  dark  room  to  distinguish  the  coated  from 
the  glass  side  of  the  plate.  In  such  an  event  the 
sensitive  side  can  readily  be  determined  by  breath- 
ing upon  the  plate;  the  breath  will  condense  upon 
the  glass  side  but  will  have  no  visible  effect  on  the 
coating. 

201 


202  MODERN    PHOTOGRAPHY 

The  negative  from  which  the  contact  shde  is  to  be 
made  is  placed  in  a  printinj^  frame  with  the  film  side  up, 
exactly  the  same  as  in  making  a  print.  The  lantern 
slide  is  then  placed  in  position  upon  the  negative  so 
that  the  two  plates  rest  film  to  film.  This  is  of  course 
done  in  the  dark  room  by  means  of  the  red  light  from 
the  dark  room  lantern.  Care  must  be  exercised  to  see 
that  all  dust  is  removed  from  the  film  sides  of  both  the 
negative  and  lantern  plate  and  that  the  glass  side  of 
the  negative  is  clean,  for  the  smallest  defect  is  exagge- 
rated when  the  slide  is  placed  in  the  lantern  and  the  en- 
larged view  thrown  upon  the  screen.  The  negative 
with  the  lantern  plate  on  it  is  held  up  before  the  red 
light  of  the  dark  room  lamp  in  order  to  place  the  lantern 
plate  in  position. 

Move  the  lantern  plate  around  until  it  includes  that 
portion  of  the  negative  which  you  wish  to  show  and 
then  place  the  back  of  the  printing  frame  in  position  and 
clamp  it  down.  The  printing  frame  is  now  turned  face 
down  on  the  bench  or  table  and  the  ruby  lamp  opened. 
The  printing  frame  is  then  held  in  a  vertical  position  in 
front  of  the  lamp  and  about  eighteen  inches  from  it  for 
about  ten  seconds,  the  length  of  exposure  and  the  dis- 
tance from  the  light  being  governed  by  the  size  and 
quality  of  the  light  and  the  density  of  the  negative.  If 
the  negative  is  a  medium  one,  eighteen  inches  will  be 
about  the  right  distance  from  the  light;  if  thin,  remove 
more  distant  from  and  if  dense  brinijf  it  closer  to  the  light. 


IN    THEORY    AND    PRACTICE.  203 

Should  the  negative  be  a  very  thin  one  it  will  be  well  to 
place  a  piece  of  ground  glass  in  front  of  the  light  and 
lengthen  the  exposure.  With  an  ordinary  gas  burner 
and  medium  negative,  from  two  to  five  seconds  exposure 
will  be  ample  but  with  an  oil  light  the  exposure  will  vary 
from  ten  to  fifteen  seconds.  A  few  experiments  will 
teach  you  what  is  the  proper  exposure  for  a  given  nega- 
tive and  others  can  be  judged  from  it  just  as  you  use 
your  judgment  in  making  Bromide  or  Velox  prints  oi" 
negatives. 

The  all  important  point  in  making  lantern  slides  is 
to  have  clear  glass  in  the  highlights  or  sky,  providing 
the  latter  is  not  intended  to  show  clouds.  When  you 
have  made  the  exposure  the  printing  frame  is  again 
turned  face  down  on  the  bench  and  the  dark  room  lan- 
tern closed.  The  back  of  the  frame  is  then  opened  and 
the  lantern  plate  removed  and  developed.  No  special 
developer  is  required  and  the  work  is  performed  the  same 
as  developing  a  plate  with  the  exception  that  care  must 
be  exercised  not  to  carry  the  development  too  far.  If 
the  negative  was  one  having  a  plain  white  sky,  then  we 
must  stop  development  as  soon  as  we  see  that  the  sky  is 
changing  in  the  slightest  degree  to  a  dark  shade,  for  the 
object  is  to  have  clear  glass  in  the  sky,  when  the  slide 
comes  out  of  the  hypo  bath.  When  the  image  has  de- 
veloped up  clear  and  distinct  and  just  before  the  sky 
changes,  remove  the  plate  from  the  developer,  rinse 
in  water  and  place  in  the    hypo    bath.     The  ordinary 


204 


MODERN     PHOTOGRAPHY 


bath  used  for  negatives  will  answer,  though  a  diluted 
bath  will  be  better.  When  the  plate  has  cleared  up 
in  the  fixing,  wash  it  for  thirty  or  forty-five  minutes 
and  put  it  in  the  rack  to  dry. 

It  will  not  be  necessary  to  develop  each  plate  as  soon  as 
printed  after  you  have  familiarized  yourself  with  the 
process  and  the  length  of  exposure.  Five  or  six  expo- 
sures can  be  made  one  after  the  other  and  the  plates  put 
in  a  box  and  all  the  development  and  fixing  done  at  one 
lime.  When  the  plate  has  dried  thoroughly  it  is  ready 
for  the  finishing  touches  in  the  way 
of  cover  glass,  mat  and  binder. 
The  covers  consist  of  thin  crystal 
glasses  which  are  sold  for  the  pur- 
pose. The  mats  are  frames  cut 
from  black  paper  with  various 
sizes  and  shapes  of  openings,  most 
of  them  being  oblong  with  rounded 
corners.  The  lantern  slide  is  laid 
on  the  table,  film  side  up,  the  mat 
placed  on  the  film,  and  the  cover 
glass,  previously  cleaned,  is  then 
placed  on  the  mat.  The  three  are  then  held  together 
and  removed  from  the  table  and  the  binding  strip  applied 
to  the  edges  so  as  to  hold  them  in  place.  Binding  strijis 
consist  of  narrow  slips  of  tough  black  paper,  gummed 
on  one  side.  The  Ideal  Lantern  Slide  Vise,  shown  at 
Fig.  47  will  be   found  very   convenient  when  applying 


Ilk 


IN  THEORY  AND  PRACTICE. 


205 


these  binding  strips,  as  the  lantern  shde,  mat  and  cover 
glass  are  held  firmly  in  position,  leaving  both  hands 
free  to  apply  the  binding  strips.  The  slide  is  clamped 
between  rubber  discs  which  do  not  scratch  the  glasses 
and  the  slide  is  readily  revolved.  A  mat  should  always 
be  selected  which  will  cut  out  that  portion  of  the  picture 
which  is  not  desirable  to  show  upon  the  screen  and 
it  adds  a  finish  to  the  view  just  as  a  frame  does  to  a 
picture. 

We  will  now  call  the  reader's  attention  to  the  second  way 
of  making  lantern  slides,  that  is,  by  the  reduction  method 


Fiff.  i8. 


and  right  here  it  is  well  to  state  that  slides  made  in  this 
way  are  vastl}'  superior  to  those  made  by  contact.  Fig. 
48  illustrates  the  Anthony  Lantern  Slide  Camera,  which 
ha?  an  oscillating  frame  carriage  for  the  ground  glass  and 


206  MODERN    PHOTOGRAPHY 

plate  holder,  which  facilitates  the  adjustment  of  the  pic- 
ture on  the  plate.  It  will  be  noted  that  the  lens  is  situ- 
ated about  the  center  of  the  bellows  but  this  center 
board  and  lens  can  be  used  also  at  the  end  of  the  bel- 
lows, thereby  converting  it  into  an  extra  long  copying 
camera.  This  camera  is  made  for  copying  4  x  5  or 
smaller  negatives  on  3^x4  or  35^x434^  lantern  slide 
plates.  The  negative  is  placed  in  one  end  of  the 
camera,  film  side  toward  the  lens,  where  it  is  held  by 
means  of  springs  and  the  camera  placed  in  front  of  a 
window  or  light  in  order  to  focus  the  scene  to  the 
right  size  on  the  ground  glass.  When  the  focus  is 
satisfactory  the  plate  holder  containing  the  lantern 
plate  is  placed  in  position,  the  focusing  cloth  is  thrown 
over  the  end  where  the  negative  is  held  and  the  camera 
is  taken  out  of  doors  to  a  spot  where  the  sky  can  be 
viewed  uninterruptedly.  Here  the  camera  is  pointed  to- 
wards the  sky  and  an  exposure  made,  the  length  of  time 
depending  on  the  brightness  of  the  day  and  the  dense- 
ness  of  the  negative.  The  development  is  then  pro- 
ceeded with,  the  same  as  with  a  contact  negative.  If  the 
slides  are  made  at  night  the  lighting  can  be  done  by  gas 
or  flash  light  but  in  that  evetit  a  ground  glass  should  be 
held  a  few  inches  in  front  of  the  negative  in  order  to  dif- 
fuse the  light.  Of  course  the  exposure  can  also  be  made 
in  the  day  time  from  any  window  where  an  uninterrupted 
view  of  the  sky  is  to  be  had  but  the  sun  must  not  shine 
on  the  negative.     A  piece  of   white  cardboard   can  be 


IN    TMEOkY    AND    PRACTICE, 


207 


placed  at  an  angle  outside  the  window  to  cut  off  any 
trees  that  shade  the  light  and  to  reflect  the  light  through 
the  negative.  Should  the  negative  be  larger  than  will 
fit  in  the  front  of  the  camera,  then  we  shall  have  to 
employ  a  little  different  method.  We  can  take  a  starch 
or  soap  box,  remove  the  lid,  and  cut  an  opening  in  the 
center  of  the  bottom  of  the  box  which  will  just  take  the 
large  negative.  The  negative  can  be  fastened  in  this 
opening  by  means  of  thumb  tacks  or  two  wooden 
cleats  can  be  tacked  on  in  which  the  negative  can  be 


Fig.  4Q- 

held.  The  film  side  of  the  negative  should  face  the 
inside  of  the  box  and  the  inside  of  the  box  should 
be  next  the  camera  front.  The  camera  can  then  be 
brought  into  position  until  the  image  on  the  ground  glass 
is  of  the  right  dimensions  and  the  focusing  cloth  can 
be  spread  over  the  intervening  space  between  the 
camera  and  box,  thus  shutting  off  all  fight  except  that 
which  comes  through  the  negative.  Fig.  49  illustrates 
the  Ideal  Lantern  Slide  Camera  which  is  a  very  simple 


2o8  MODERN    PHOTOGRAPHY 

arrangement,  being  a  wooden  box  with  lens  in  the  cen- 
ter partition,  kits  for  the  reception  of  the  negative  in  one 
end  and  the  lantern  slide  in  the  other.  The  kit  for  the 
reception  of  the  negative  is  reversible  so  that  vertical  or 
horizontal  negatives  can  be  used.  The  lens  being  a 
iixed  focus  one  the  negative  is  always  in  focus.  This 
camera  is  built  for  4x5  negatives  only. 

If  any  difficulty  is  had  in  focusing  the  negative  on 
the  ground  glass  and  it  often  happens,  then  the  follow- 
ing method  may  be  resorted  to:  Divide  the  length  of 
the  negative  in  inches  by  the  length  of  the  lantern  slide, 
to  the  result  add  i  and  multiply  the  sum  by  the  focal 
length  of  the  lens  and  the  result  will  be  the  distance  that 
the  lens  should  be  from  the  negative.  We  will  assume 
we  have  a  6^x8  negative,  a  33^x4  lantern  plate 
and  a  lens  of  6  inch  focus.  The  process  will  be  as 
follows: 

8-1-4  =  2  +  1=3x6=  18. 

Now  we  have  the  distance  from  negative  to  lens 
which  is  18  inches,  we  must  know  the  distance  from 
lens  to  lantern  plate.  We  proceed  to  divide  the  result, 
18,  by  the  first  quotient  or  2  and  the  result  will  be  9  ins. 
or  the  distance  from  the  lens  to  the  lantern  slide. 

If  we  desire  clouds  in  the  sky  of  our  lantern  slide  and 
the  negative  has  none  we  can  secure  them  by  printing 
the  clouds  in  on  a  separate  lantern  slide  plate  and  using 
this  plate  as  a  cover  glass  for  the  lantern  slide.  Great 
care  will  have  to  be  exercised,  however,  to  see  that  the 


IN    THEORY    AND    PRACTlCEo  2O9 

two  slides  blend  well  together  at  the  horizon  line  and 
also  that  we  are  not  putting  clouds  which  are  lighted 
from  the  right  into  a  scene  which  is  lighted  from  the  left 
and  that  in  all  other  respects  the  clouds  match  the  scene 
and  above  all  be  careful  not  to  get  the  clouds  upside 
down. 


CHAPTCP  XVII. 

Transparencies  are  treated  in  a  similar  manner  to  lan- 
tern slides.  They  may  be  made  on  any  ordinary  plate, 
or  special  plates  are  made  for  the  purpose,  havinj/ 
ground  glass  or  opal  backings.  There  is  also  on  the 
market  a  special  plate  for  lantern  slides  and  transpar- 
encies, known  as  G.  B.  P.  R.,  which  by  special  develop- 
ment produce  either  green,  blue,  purple  or  red,  or  the 
intermediate  shades.  Special  directions  accompany 
these  plates.  The  transparency  should  be  developed  a 
little  stronger  than  lantern  slides.  After  fixing  and 
washing,  the  transparency  should  be  backed  with  a 
piece  of  ground  glass,  the  film,  of  course,  being  pro- 
tected by  the  glass. 

Should  the  amateur  so  elect  he  can  make  blue  trans- 
parency plates  by  giving  a  previously  well  cleaned  glass 
a  thin  coating  of  gelatine  and  when  this  is  dry  sensi- 
tizing it  with  the  solution  described  on  page  138,  for 
making  blue  print  paper.  The  sensitizing  liquid  is  not 
applied  with  a  brush  but  is  poured  on  the  center  of  the 
plate,  allow^ed  to  spread  to  the  edges  and  the  surplus  then 
poured  off  from  one  corner.  The  plate  is  then  printed 
under  the  negative  and  developed  the  same  as  you  would 
blue  print  paper.  The  depth  to  which  to  print  may  be 
judged  by  making  a  plue  print    from  the  negative  first 

210 


IN    THEORY    AND    PRACTICE,  211 

and  giving  the  transparency  the  same  time  that  you  did 
the  blue  print,  or  the  negative  can  be  wedged  into  tht: 
corner  of  the  frame  and  the  transparency  plate  placed 
in  the  same  corner  exactly.  It  can  then  be  removed  and 
examined  and  replaced  in  the  same  place.  If  it  be  de 
sirable  to  place  it  in  any  other  position  than  the  corner, 
guides  made  of  cardboard  can  be  fastened  to  the  frame,  sti 
that  the  negative  can  always  be  replaced  in  the  same 
position.  It  is  always  desirable  to  have  a  frame  oi 
border  of  white  glass  around  the  transparency  and  this 
can  be  effected  by  cutting  the  film  with  a  sharp  knife 
and  removing  the  surplus  from  the  glass  while  it  is  still 
damp. 

Transparency  frames,  made  of  metal,  with  rings  to 
hang  them  up  b}',  may  be  purchased  from  photo  supply 
houses.  These  frames  are  made  for  both  horizontal  and 
upright  pictures,  in  all  the  regular  sizes  in  which  dry 
plates  are  made,  from  4X  5  to  ii  x  14. 

There  will  come  a  time  when  the  amateur  who  pos- 
sesses a  4x5  camera  and  who  is  perfectly  satisfied  with 
the  quality  of  his  negatives,  will  feel  a  longing  for  a 
larger  size.  As  stated  on  page  12,  the  larger  the  camera 
the  greater  the  expense  for  plates,  trays,  paper,  etc.  and 
not  only  this,  but  the  greater  becomes  the  burden  when 
you  go  out  for  an  outing  with  a  dozen  plates.  A  4  x  5 
negative  will  always  make  an  8  x  10  bromide  print  and 
if  there  is  plenty  of  detail,  it  will  even  stand  enlarging 
to  II  X  14  on  Royal  Bromide. 


212  MODERN    PHOTOGRAPHY 

When  etilargements  are  spoken  of  they  usually  mean 
bromide  prints  larger  than  the  original  negative  but  en- 
largements in  the  way  of  negatives  may  also  be  made 
within  the  limits  of  the  largest  plate  which  your  camera 
will  take.  For  example,  an  enlarged  positive  or  trans- 
parency can  be  made  in  the  camera  as  lantern  slides  are 
made.  Special  cameras  are  made  for  enlargements 
but  they  may  also  be  made  with  the  regular  camera,  by 
the  use  of  a  box  and  focusing  cloth,  as  described  for 
making  lantern  slides.  These  special  cameras  are  sim- 
ilar in  construction  to  the  lantern  slide  camera  shown 
in  Fig.  47,  except  that  they  are  made  to  take  larger 
plates  and  the  bellows  is  therefore  not  only  larger, 
but  longer.  To  make  the  matter  sure,  let  us  imagine 
that  the  camera  shown  in  Fig.  47  is  five  feet  long  and 
will  take  plates  up  to  11  x  14.  If  now  we  desire  to  copy 
a  photograph  in  the  same  size,  our  lens  having  a  focal 
length  of  4  inches,  we  would  then  place  it  in  one  of  the 
kits  in  the  front  of  the  camera  and  draw  back  the  center 
partition,  which  holds  the  lens,  twice  the  focal  length  of 
the  lens,  or  8  inches  and  slide  the  ground  glass  until  it 
was  the  same  distance  from  the  center  of  the  lens.  If 
we  wished  to  double  the  enlargement  we  would  make 
the  distance  from  the  center  of  lens  to  negative  6  inches, 
and  from  center  of  lens  to  ground  glass  12  inches.  The 
annexed  table  of  enlargements  is  from  the  "  British 
Journal  Almanac "  and  will  be  found  valuable  when 
making  enlargements  and  reductions: 


IN    THEORY    AND    PRACTICE. 
TABLE    FOR    ENLARGEMENTS. 


213 


Focus  OF  Lens. 


Times  of  Enlargement  and  Reduction. 


Inches.           ^^ 

2 
In. 

3 
In. 

4 
In. 

ll 

6 
In. 

7 
In. 

8 
In. 

2 

4 

4 

6 
3 

8 

214: 

10 

2K 

12 

2| 

14 

2K 

16 

2f 

18 

2X 

2K 

5 

5 

7K 
3K 

10 

I2K 

3>^ 

15 

3 

I7K 

2}1 

20 

2? 

22^ 

2l6 

3 

6 
6 

9 

4^ 

12 
4 

15 
3^ 

18 
31 

21 

24 

31 

27 
3^8 

3K 

7 
7 

5X 

'4 

4% 

i7y2 

21 

4^ 

24'^ 
4A 

28 
4 

31K 

311 

4 

8 
8 

12 
6 

16 

5X 

20 
5 

24 
41 

28 

4% 

32 
4f 

36 

4>^ 

VA 

9 
9 

I3>^ 
6|< 

18 
6 

22K 

SH 

27 
51 

3i>^ 
53^ 

36 

5f 

40^ 
5-iV 

5 

10 
10 

15 

7K 

20 

6% 

25 
6^ 

30 
6 

35 

51 

40 

5^ 

45 
SH 

SA 

1 1 
II 

8X 

22 
7>^ 

27K 
6?^ 

33 
6/2 

38^ 

44 
6f 

49^ 
6i\ 

6 

12 

12 

18 
9 

24 
8 

30 

7K 

36^ 

7/6 

42 
7 

48 
6? 

54 
6^ 

7 

14 
14 

21 

28 

9K 

35 

834: 

42 
8f 

49 

8/6 

56 
8 

63 

7^ 

8 

16 
16 

24 
12 

32 
10% 

40 
10 

48 
9i 

56 

9M 

64 

9^ 

72 
9 

9 

18 
18 

27 

36 
12 

"^5  , 
iiX 

5i 

63 

72 
io| 

81 
10% 

The  proper  use  of  this  table  can  be  understood  from  tlie  examples  given  on  the 
annexed  page  where  the  amateur  desired  to  make  a  negative  in  tiie  same  and  double 
the  size,  with  a  lens  of  4  inch  focal  length.  Let  us  take  the  last  as  an  example:  He 
consults  the  head  of  the  table  under  "  Times  of  Enlargement,"  and  as  he  wants  a 
double  size  he  looks  at  the  column  headed  2.  He  then  consults  the  left  hand  col- 
umn, running  his  eye  down  it  until  it  strikes  the  focal  length  of  his  lens  or  4. 
Where  these  two  lines  meet  he  finds  the  figures  12  and  6.  the  former  being  the  dis- 
tance from  center  of  lens  to  sensitive  plate  and  the  latter  from  center  of  lens  to 
negative  In  reducing  any  given  number  of  times  the  same  operation  is  repeated 
but  in  this  case  the  larger  number  will  represent  the  distance  from  the  center  of 
lens  to  the  negative  or  picture  to  be  copied  and  the  lesser  number  represents  the 
distance  in  inches  from  the  center  of  lens  to  sensitive  plate. 


2T4  MODERN    PHOTOGRAPHY 

Now  we  have  several  times  made  use  of  the  expres- 
sion, focal  length,  when  speaking  of  lenses  and  it  may 
be  possible  that  the  amateur  does  not  know  the  focal' 
length  of  his  lens,  or  how  to  determine  it.  For  this  rea- 
son we  will  endeavor  to  explain  in  simple  language,  how 
to  determine  the  focal  length  of  any  lens.  With  a  rule 
measure  off  on  a  piece  of  white  paper  12  inches  exactly, 
making  two  distinct  black  marks  just  12  inches 
apart.  Take  your  camera,  paper  and  rule  out  into  the 
yard  or  lawn.  Pm  the  paper  upon  the  side  of  the  house 
or  on  the  fence,  choosing  a  place  where  you  can  set  3'our 
camera  at  some  considerable  distance  from  it.  With  the 
aid  of  the  rule  mark  off  three  inches  on  your  ground 
glass,  drawing  two  lines  on  the  rough  side  of  the  glass 
with  y()\ir  lead  pencil.  Using  the  largest  stop,  proceed 
to  bring  your  camera  nearer  to  or  farther  from  the  sheet 
of  paper  on  the  wall  until  the  two  lines  on  the  ground 
glass  register,  or  come  exactly  over  the  two  lines  on  the 
paper  vhen  viewed  through  the  ground  glass.  With 
the  aid  of  the  rule,  or  a  tape  measure,  proceed  to 
measure  the  exact  distance  from  the  crround  glass  to  the 
wall  on  yhich  the  paper  is  pinned.  Having  found  this 
distance  to  be  25  feet,  we  proceed  as  follows:  We 
divide  the  12  inches  marked  on  the  paper  by  the  space 
marked  on  the  ground  glass,  or  three  inches.  This 
gives  us  as  a  quotient  4,  which  is  the  proportion  existing 
between  the  subject  and  the  image.  To  this  quotient 
we  add    [,  making  it  5,  and  then  square  it,  or  in   other 


IN   THEORY    AND    PRACTICE.  21$ 

words  multiply  it  by  itself  and  the  result  is  25.  We  now 
multiply  the  distance  from  ground  glass  to  paper,  or  25 
feet,  by  the  proportion,  or  4,  which  gives  us  the  product, 
100.  This  we  divide  by  the  25  secured  by  adding  i 
to  the  proportion  4  and  squaring  it  and  the  result  will 
be  the  focal  length  of  the  lens,  or  4  inches.  To  be  sure 
we  have  made  it  clear,  let  us  repeat: 

12  ins.,  size  of  paper;  3  ins.,  size  of  image;  25  feet,  distance  from 
wall;  4,  the  proportion. 

12  -7-  3  =  4;  25  X  4  =  100;  4  +  I  =  5;  5  X  5  =  25. 

100  H-  25  =  4,  the  focal  length  of  lens. 
Enlarged  bromide  prints  can  be  made  by  the  amateur 
by  means  of  any  ordinary  camera  which  focuses  from 
the  front  and  the  necessary  adjuncts  are  very  inexpen- 
sive. These  enlargements  can  be  made  in  the  daytime 
or  during  the  evening,  the  source  of  light  being  the  only 
difference.  If  they  are  made  in  the  daytime,  a  room 
having  but  one  window  and  that  one  facing  the  north, 
should  be  selected.  Procure  a  few  sheets  of  heavy  red 
express  paper,  the  kind  used  for  doing  up  large  packages. 
Measure  the  size  of  the  window,  including  two  inches  on 
each  side  and  the  top  and  bottom.  Glue  two  or  three 
sheets  of  this  paper  together  until  you  have  a  sheet  which 
is  large  enough  and  then  trim  it  to  the  required  size.  Put 
this  sheet  up  in  the  window  casing  and  hold  it  in  position 
by  means  of  thumb  tacks.  Draw  a  kitchen  table  close 
up  to  the  window  and  place  upon  it  a  box  which  will  hold 
your  camera.  Now  place  your  camera  on  the  box,  the 
lens  pointing  into  the  room.     With  a  lead  pencil,  mark 


2l6 


MODERN    PHOTOGRAPHY 


Fig.  so. 


an  oblong  on  the  paper  the  exact  size  of  your  negative, 
cut  a  piece  from  the  paper  this  size,  so  that  when  the 
camera  is  backed  up  to  the  window  all  the  light  will 
come  in  through  the  camera  and  lens.  Now  glue  some 
wooden  strips  around  this  opening, 
on  each  side  and  the  bottom  and  push 
three  thumb  tacks  into  the  wood,  so 
that  the  negative  can  be  dropped 
in  from  the  top  and  will  be  held  in 
position  by  the  thumb  tacks,  as 
shown  in  Fig.  50.  All  the  prelimin- 
ary arrangements  can  of  course  be 
made  by  gaslight.  A  drawing 
board,  a  baking  board  or  any  other 
smooth  piece  of  lumber,  should  now  be  selected  for 
holding  the  bromide  paper.  This  can  be  held  in  a  ver- 
tical position  by  means  of  triangles  or  brack- 
ets screwed  to  the  back,  as  shown  in  Fig. 
51,  or  by  making  a  groove  in  a  piece  of 
2x4  lumber  and  inserting  the  board  in 
the  groove,  as  shown  in  Fig.  52.  The 
board  may  also  be  held  in  position  by 
tying  it  with  a  piece  of  string  to  a  soap 
box.  To  this  board  fasten  a  large  sheet  of 
white  paper  and  place  the  negative  in  the 
groove  in  the  window.  The  ground  glass 
is  now  removed  from  the  back  of  the  camera  and  that 
instrument  drawn  close  up  to  the   opening.     Select   the 


l-'ir-  St. 


IN    THEORY    AND    PRACTICE.  21*J 

largest  stop  or  diaphragm  and  open  the  shutter  and  30U 
will  find  an  image  on  the  white  paper  when  you  turn  out 
the  gas.  Push  the  drawing  board  to  and  fro  until  you  get 
the  enlargement  of  the  proper  size  and  in  the  center  of  the 
sheet.  Now  by  racking  the  camera  bellows  in  and  out, 
proceed  to  sharpen  up  the  image  just  as  you  would  focus 
on  the  ground  glass.  If  the  negative  was 
turned  upside  down  and  with  the  film  to- 
wards the  light,  you  will  have  an  image  just 
as  the  scene  appeared  in  nature.  You  can 
now  continue  further  operations  by  means  of 
the  dark  room  lantern.  If  an}-  light  leaks  in 
Pu]      around  the  camera  where  it  joins  the  window, 

~ shut  it  out  bv  means  of  the  focusinfj  cloth,  for 

Fig-.  S3-  '  .... 

there  must  be  no  white  light  in  the  room  aside 

from   that  which   comes    in  through  the    negative    and 

lens.     With  a  lead  pencil    indicate   the    image  on    the 

white    paper    so   you  will    know  just    where    to  locate 

the    bromide   sheet.       You    now   close    the    shutter    or 

cap  the  lens  and  opening    the   envelope  containing  the 

bromide   paper,  you  proceed  to    place  a    sheet  in  the 

proper  position  by  means  of  the  marks  made  and  hold  it 

flat,  avoiding  all  wrinkles,  by  means  of  four  thumb  tacks. 

You   are  now   ready  to  make  the  exposure   but  before 

doing  it,  it  would  be  wise  to  first  try  a  small  piece  of  the 

paper  in  order  that  you    may  make  sure  of   the  time. 

There  is  no  rule  that  can  belaid  down  as  to  time,  any  more 

than  we  could  do   in  making  a  negative.     The  sensi- 


2l8  MODERN    PHOTOGRAPHY 

tiveness  of  the  paper,  the  density  of  the  negative  and  the 
brightness  of  the  light  are  all  factors  on  which  the  ex- 
posure depends.  We  can  only  determine  the  proper 
exposure  by  experiment  but  it  is  not  necessary  to  spoil 
full  sheets  in  order  to  determine  the  correct  exposure. 
The  best  way  to  do  this  is  to  cut  a  narrow  strip  from 
one  of  the  sheets  and  pinning  it  in  position  proceed  to 
expose  it  as  follows:  Pin  a  sheet  of  paper,  white  o»" 
colored,  over  the  bromide  strip  so  as  to  cover  three- 
quarters  of  it  and  then  opening  the  shutter  give  it  a 
half  minute  exposure;  close  the  shutter  and  pin  the 
sheet  so  it  covers  one-half  of  the  bromide  slip  and  again 
expose  for  half  a  minute  and  so  on  until  the  last  quar- 
ter of  the  sheet  is  exposed.  It  will  be  evident  that  we 
now  have  a  strip  of  bromide  paper  with  four  separate 
exposures  on  it,  one  of  a  half  minute,  one  of  a  minute, 
one  of  a  minute  and  a  half  and  one  of  two  minutes.  By 
developing  this  strip  we  can  readily  determine  which  is 
the  best  exposure  for  our  negative  and  govern  ourselves 
accordingly.  The  larger  we  make  the  bromide  picture, 
the  longer  will  be  the  exposure  required.  Now,  before 
making  the  exposure  on  the  large  sheet,  proceed  to  stop 
down  to  say  y"  i6,  as  this  will  sharpen  up  the  image  con- 
siderably but  will  increase  the  length  of  time  of  exposure, 
the  stops  working  just  as  ti^ey  do  in  makmg  a  negative. 
What  we  said  in  regard  to  the  camera  facing  the  sky 
when  making  lantern  slides,  holds  equally  good  in 
making   bromide  enlargements.     If    your  window    will 


IN   THEORY   AND   PRACTICE. 


219 


not  admit  of  an  uninterrupted  view  of  the  sky,  then  you 
will  have  to  place  a  sheet  of  white  cardboard  just  out- 
side your  window,  on  an  angle  of  45'',  so  as  to  reflect  the 
light  from  the  sky  through  the  negative.  Fig.  53  will 
give  you  a  general  idea  of  the  arrangement  of  the  cam- 
era, table  and  bromide  paper  when  making  enlarge- 
ments by  daylight.     You  will  observe  that  it  is  neces- 


Fig.  53' 

sary  to  elevate  the  camera  above  the  general  level  of  the 
table  if  we  expect  to  make  any  material  enlargement,  so 
that  the  lens  will  come  opposite  the  center  of  the 
bromide  sheet. 

We  will  now  consider  the  method  of  making  bromide 
enlargements  at  night,  using  an  inexpensive,  home-made 
contrivance,  not  very  handsome  but  fully  as  capable  of 
good  results  as  the  best  enlarging  apparatus.  Procure 
a  good,  sound  box,  say  14  inches  square  and  another 
smaller  box,  say  10  inches  square.     Remove  the  cover 


220  MODERN    PHOTOGRAPHY 

from  the  large  box  and  cleating  it  together  put  on  two 
small  hinges,  so  it  will  act  as  a  door  for  this  box.  In 
about  the  center  of  the  bottom  a  pair  of  condensing 
lenses  should  b'^  fastened.  These  lenses  are  used  to 
distribute  the  light  evenly  all  over  the  negative,  other- 
wise you  would  have  a  bright  spot  in  the  middle,  with  a 
gradual  diminution  of  light  towards  the  edges.  Cut 
the  second,  or  smaller  box,  down  to  say  lo  x  lo  x  3  and 
cut  a  hole  in  the  bottom  of  this  a  little  smaller  than  your 
negative.  On  the  outside  of  this  fasten  three  strips,  with 
thumb  tacks  projecting  over  the  edge  for  the  reception 
of  your  negatives,  as  described  when  making  enlarge- 
ments by  daylight,  or  grooved  pieces  can  be  used  and 
the  negative  slide  in  the  grooves.  This  smaller  box 
should  be  fastened  to  the  larger  one  so  that  the  negative 
will  come  opposite  the  center  of  the  condensing  lenses 
and  about  three  inches  from  them.  Procure  an  elbow 
of  speaking  tube,  about  four  inches  long  and  cut  a  hole 
in  the  top  of  the  large  box  so  this  tube  will  fit  into  it 
friction  tight.  Turn  the  opening  of  the  tube  towards 
the  door  in  the  box.  In  the  box  place  a  gas  stand  with 
a  Welsbach  burner,  or  what  is  better  if  you  have  it,  an 
acetylene  gas  bicycle  lamp.  Any  good  oil  bicycle  lamp 
will  answer  but  the  purer  and  stronger  the  light  the 
shorter  the  exposure  will  be.  The  flame  of  the  lamp 
should  be  in  line  with  the  center  of  the  condensing  lenses. 
Remove  the  ground  glass  from  your  camera  and  back 
the  camera  up   to  the  small  box  holding  the  negative. 


IN   THEORY    AND   PRACTICE. 


221 


Prop  up  the  camera  on  a  small  box  so  that  the  opening 
which  was  occupied  by  the  condensing  lenses  will  be 
exactly  opposite  the  negative.  Make  two  wooden  trian- 
gles and  screw  them  to  the  back  of  a  drawing  board,  to  hold 
it  in  a  vertical  position,  as  explained  when  making  enlarge- 
ments by  daylight.  Make  everything  light-tight  by 
pasting  red  express  paper  over  any  cracks  in  the  boxes, 
or  where  the  two  boxes  join  one  another.     Throw    the 


Fig.  34- 

focusing  cloth  over  the  joint  between  the  camera  and 
box,  to  shut  in  any  light  which  might  escape.  When  all 
is  ready,  light  the  lamp  and  proceed  to  focus  on  a  piece 
of  white  paper  on  the  drawing  board,  as  previously  ex- 
plained. Fig.  54  may  help  the  amateur  to  understand 
moi:e  readily  the  above  description.  Enlarging  by 
means  of  artificial  light  is  more  reliable  than  by  day- 
light, for  the  source  of  light,  as  a  usual  thing,  is  constant, 
while  with  nature  the  light  varies  considerably  every 
few  minutes,  owing  to  passing  clouds. 

Should  we  wish  to  enlarge  say  34x5  negative  to 
8  X  10  in  size  and    leave    a  white    margin  around   the 


222  Modern  photograph v 

print,  we  can  readily  do  so  by  pasting  a  strip  of  black 
paper  all  around  our  4x5  negative  on  the  glass  side,  or 
we  can  do  so  by  cutting  a  mask  and  placing  it  over  the 
bromide  paper  when  we  get  it  in  position.  We  can  also 
vignette  very  nicely  on  bromide  paper  by  taking  a  large 
sheet  of  cardboard,  cutting  a  hole  of  the  right  size  and 
shape  in  the  center  and  moving  it  back  and  forth  be- 
tween the  lens  and  the  image  on  the  bromide  paper.  A 
little  thought  will  show  you  that  the  nearer  you  bring 
this  vignetter  to  the  bromide  paper  the  smaller  the  circle 
of  light  and  the  closer  you  bring  it  to  the  lens  the  larger 
the  circle  of  light  which  will  fall  on  the  paper.  It  is 
evident,  therefore,  that  to  vignette  softly  from  the  cen- 
ter to  the  edges  that  the  screen  or  vignetter  must  be 
kept  constantly  in  motion  from  the  lens  to  the  paper 
during  the  entire  exposure.  To  get  good,  soft  effects  it 
will  be  found  better  to  stop  down  the  lens  pretty  well  so 
as  to  prolong  the  exposure  somewhat,  sa}-  to_/"32.  Cut 
masks  of  various  shapes  may  be  purchased  from  most 
of  the  large  photo  supply  houses  and  these  may  be  em- 
ployed successfully  by  placing  them  over  the  negative 
when  making  bromide  enlargements.  The  development, 
fixing  and  washing  is  the  same  as  for  bromide  prints 
made  by  contact,  as  described  on  pages  145  and  146 
but  enlargements  should  be  placed  in  a  tray  of  clear 
water  for  a  few  minutes  prior  to  development.  The 
mounting  can  be  done  on  a  card,  or  on  a  piece  of  linen 
which  has  previously  been  mounted  on  a  stretcher.     If  a 


IN   THEORY    AND    PRACTICE.  2  23 

white  margin  is  left  around  the  enlargement,  a  line,  about 
a  quarter  or  half  inch  from  the  edge  of  the  print,  drawn 
with  a  ruling  pen  and  India  ink,  will  enhance  its  general 
appearance  and  make  it  equal,  when  framed,  to  the  finest 
steel  or  copper  plate  engraving. 

Once  the  amateur  has  familiarized  himself  with  the 
process  of  enlarging  on  bromide  paper  and  sees  the  beau- 
tiful results  that  may  be  secured  in  so  simple  and  inex- 
pensive a  manner,  he  may  wish  to  own  something  better 
than  the  crude  camera  of  home-made  construction.  In 
this  event  we  should  advise  the  purchase  of  an  Anthony 
Enlarging  Lantern.  It  is  very  simple  in  construction 
and  is  capable  of  making  the  very  best  styles  of  enlarge- 
ments. It  may  also  be  used  as  a  copying  camera  for 
making  lantern  slides.  The  grooves  in  the  interior  admit 
of  changing  the  relative  positions  of  the  negative  and 
the  condensing  lenses  and  it  occupies  a  space  of  only 
8x15x18  inches. 


CHAPTm  XVIII. 

The  last  process,  that  of  trimming  and  mounting  the 
print,  is  a  simple  one  and  yet  how  often  do  we  see  an 
otherwise  beautiful  photograph  handicapped  by  poor 
trimming  and  an  unappropriate  mount.  One  of  the  llrst 
considerations    is  that  the    print   be  trimmed    perfectly 


square.  This  we  cannot  expect  to  do  by  means  of  a 
pair  of  shears,  using  the  eye  only  as  a  guide.  The  I'er- 
fection  Trimming  Board,  shown  in  Fig.  55,  is  an  effec- 
tive method  of  securing  square  prints.  It  consists  of  a 
solid  wooden  tablet  with  raised  edges,  containing  a  card 
on  which  are  printed  diagrams  of  all  the  different  sizes 

224 


IN    THEORY    AND    PRACTICE.  22  5 

in  general  use,  from  i}{x  2/4  io  Sxio.  This  diagram 
is  covered  with  a  stationary  thick  glass  on  which  a 
movable  glass  pattern  is  placed.  The  print  to  be 
trimmed  is  laid  in  place  under  the  glass  pattern,  which 
is  held  firmly  against  the  raised  edge  of  the  board,  to 
prevent  its  slipping  and  with  a  sharp  knife  two  of  the 
sides  are  trimmed.  The  print  is  then  reversed  and  the 
other  two  sides  are  cut.  There  are  also  many  excellent 
trimmers  on  the  market  in  the  form  of  bench  shears  and 
rotary  cutters. 

If  the  amateur  has  a  large  number  of  prints  to  mount, 
or  should  he  be  so  located  that  he  cannot  reach  a  photo 
supply  house  readily,  it  may  pay  him  to  make  his  own 
mounting  paste  but  as  a  rule  it  can  be  purchased  so 
cheaply  in  tubes  and  jars  and  is  so  convenient  that  it 
will  only  be  in  emergency  cases  that  he  will  want  to 
make  it.  A  good,  all-round  mounting  paste  can  be 
made  by  boiling  starch  to  a  very  thick  paste  and  then 
straining  it  by  forcing  it  through  a  fine  cambric  bag. 
The  paste  should  be  so  heavy  that  it  will  not  go  through 
the  cambric  unless  the  bag  is  twisted,  thereby  forcing  it. 
A  little  ground  alum,  dissolved  in  hot  water  and  mixed 
with  the  paste,  will  prevent  it  from  turning  sour.  The 
prints  should  be  laid  one  on  top  of  the  other,  face  down, 
on  the  pasting  board  and  the  paste  applied  by  means  of 
a  broad,  flat  brush.  It  is  a  mistake  to  use  a  small  brush, 
for  the  print  is  dry  on  one  end  before  the  other  is  fairly 
pasted. 


226  MODERN   PHOTOGRAPHY 

As  to  the  style  and  color  of  the  mounting  cards,  taste 
alone  must  dictate,  as  there  are  so  many  colors  and  fin- 
ishes on  the  market  and  as  the  subjects  of  prints  differ 
so  materially,  no  hard  and  fast  rules  can  be  applied  but 
by  all  means  select  mounts  which  have  a  liberal  margin, 
for  nothing  looks  so  mean  as  a  good  sized  print  on  a 
card  with  a  skimpy  margm.  Our  preference  is  for 
dark  rather  than  for  light  mounts  and  for  plain  rather 
than  glossy  finish  on  the  cardboard.  You  can  make 
mounts  which  are  highly  artistic  and  different  from  those 
usually  found  on  the  market.  Take  a  piece  of  What- 
man's, or  any  other  rough  drawing  paper,  a  little  larger 
than  the  mount  you  require.  Cut  a  piece  of  zinc,  say 
a  half  inch  larger  than  your  usual  prints,  or  about  the 
size  of  the  dry  plate  you  are  using.  This  zinc  you  can 
leav^e  with  a  plain  square  corner,  or  you  can  round  off 
the  corners,  as  fancy  dictates  Place  the  drawing  paper 
on  a  smooth  piece  of  board,  put  the  zinc  sheet  in  the 
center  of  it  and  apply  pressure,  either  by  putting  it  in  a 
copying  press,  or  placing  a  board  and  heavy  weights  on 
the  zinc.  If  sulficient  pressure  has  been  applied,  the 
result  will  be  a  smooth  center  in  which  to  mount  the 
print,  with  a  rough  border  all  around  it.  The  smooth 
sunk  surface  should  be  at  least  a  quarter  of  an  inch 
larger  all  around  than  the  print.  Should  you  want 
a  mount  heavier  than  the  drawing  paper  alone  will 
give  you,  then  you  can  paste  the  drawing  paper  upon 
a  piece    of    pulp    board     but    in    this    event    the    zinc 


IN    THEORY    AND    TRACTICE.  227 

should  not  be  applied  until  after  the  paper  is  pasted 
in  position. 

There  are  a  number  of  rough  papers  on  the  market 
in  white  and  various  tints,  which  are  used  as  covers  for 
pamphlets  and  any  of  them,  when  backed  by  a  piece  of 
straw  board  or  pulp  board  and  a  sunk  panel  made  in 
them,  will  make  very  artistic  mounts.  Even  the  com- 
mon straw  paper,  such  as  used  by  grocers  and  butchers 
for  tying  up  packages,  if  properly  treated,  makes  a 
very  artistic  mount  by  backing  it  with  board,  pressing  a 
shape  into  it  and  drawing  a  simple  line  around  the  shape 
with  India  ink  and  a  ruling  pen. 

Don't  be  afraid  to  sacrifice  a  half  or  even  two-thirds 
of  a  print  in  order  to  secure  that  which  is  of  interest 
and  the  least  that  you  show  of  the  uninteresting  the 
more  you  accentuate  that  which  is  picturesque  or 
artistic.  It  would  be  far  better  to  cut  down  a  print  to 
4x4  and  thus  have  an  interesting  one,  than  to  have  the 
same  occupy  the  center  of  a  5  x  7  print  and  the  balance 
of  the  picture  consist  of  uninteresting  foreground  of 
grass  and  the  sides  of  a  like  character.  Do  not  cut  and 
slash  your  print  recklessly,  otherwise  you  may  cut  it  down 
too  much.  Go  at  it  systematically.  Take  four  pieces  of 
colored  cardboard  or  paper  and  lay  them  over  your  print 
so  as  to  form  a  frame,  cutting  out  that  which  you  think 
of  least  interest.  Now,  by  drawing  in  and  extending  out 
the  four  limbs  of  the  frame,  you  can  judge  very  accurately 
how  your  print  will  look  when  cut  to   a   certain   size. 


2  28  MODERN    PHOTOGRAPHY 

When  your  prints  are  mounted,  if  a  glace  finish  is  de- 
sired, they  should  he  passed  through  a  burnisher.  The 
burnishing  roller  should  be  kept  bright  and  clean  and 
should  never  be  used  cold.  The  prints  should  be  burn- 
ished within  a  few  hours  after  they  are  mounted,  or  while 
they  are  still  slightly  damp.  The  prints  should  be  lightly 
rubbed  over  with  a  piece  of  flannel  and  white  castile  soap. 
A  very  small  quantity  of  soap  is  all  that  is  required,  other- 
wise you  will  gum  up  the  burnisher.  Should  you  desire  a 
glace  finish  and  you  cannot  afford  the  luxury  of  a  burn- 
isher, you  can  secure  it  in  the  following  manner.  When 
your  prints  are  all  thoroughly  washed,  lay  them  out  on 
blotting  paper  sheets,  face  up,  to  dry.  When  they  are 
thoroughly  dry  dip  the  face  of  the  print  again  in  cold 
water  and  place  them,  face  down,  on  a  sheet  of  plate  glass 
or  a  ferrotype  plate  and  press  them  into  close  contact  with 
the  face  of  the  plate  by  passing  a  squegee  roller  over  the 
back  of  the  print.  An  ordinary  ferrotype  plate  will  take 
eight  4x5  prints.  When  you  have  them  all  squegeed 
down,  take  up  the  surplus  moisture  from  the  backs 
with  a  sheet  of  blotting  paper  and  stand  the  plate  on 
edge  until  the  prints  are  thoroughly  dry.  With  most 
papers,  the  prints  will  have  a  tendency  to  stick  to  the 
plate  and  to  obviate  this,  the  ferrotype  plate  should  first 
be  treated  by  rubbing  it  with  a  piece  of  flannel  and 
parafllne  solution.  This  solution  can  be  purchased 
from  your  dealer,  or  it  can  be  made  by  dissolving  paraf- 
fine  in   benzine.      The  paraffine    should    be     shredded 


IN    THEORY    AND    PRACTICE.  229 

and  placed  in  a  bottle  and  the  benzine  added  to  it. 
Siiake  thoroughly,  cork  the  bottle  well  and  place  it  in  a 
warm  place  and  the  paraffine  will  gradually  be  dissolved. 
The  ferrotype  plate  should  be  rubbed  with  this  solution 
before  each  new  batch  of  prints  is  applied.  A  very 
slight  film  is  all  that  is  required  on  the  plate.  If  your 
printing  paper  is  heavy  you  can  mount  your  prints  with- 
out affecting  this  finish  in  the  slightest,  providing  you 
are  not  too  lavish  with  your  mounting  paste.  If,  how- 
ever, your  printing  paper  is  thin  you  will  have  to  pro- 
ceed differently  After  you  have  squegeed  the  prmts 
down  upon  the  plate,  paste  the  backs  of  them  and 
squegee  a  piece  of  thin  paper  to  the  back  and  allow  all 
to  dry.  This  extra  piece  of  paper  will  prevent  the 
paste  striking  through  the  print  and  destroying  the 
finish.  Do  not  force  the  drying  of  prmts  which  are 
squegeed  to  a  ferrotype  plate  by  placing  them  on  the 
stove,  or  you  will  melt  the  gelatine  on  the  face  and  make 
the  print  stick  harder  than  ever.  The  surface  of  these 
prints  sometimes  has  a  higher  finish  than  can  be  se- 
cured by  means  of  the  burnisher. 

On  page  58  we  mentioned  the  scrap  book  and  this,  by 
the  way,  is  a  very  important  thing  and  no  dark-room 
should  be  considered  complete  without  one.  In  this 
book  should  be  preserved  the  printed  directions  which 
accompany  the  various  makes  of  plates,  developers, 
papers,  etc.  and  in  it  you  can  preserve  clippings  from 
trade  papers,  etc.     The  book  should  have  an  index  and 


230  MODERN    PHOTOGRAPHY 

should  be  paged,  so  that  when  you  want  a  certain 
receipt  or  formula,  or  are  at  a  loss  how  to  proceed,  you 
can  consult  the  index  and  find  the  formula  or  directions 
instantly.  If  you  take  one  or  more  photographic  jour- 
nals and  have  a  number  of  annuals  and  books  on  pho- 
tography, you  can  put  in  a  rainy  Saturday  afternoon  to 
good  advantage  by  preparing  an  alphabetical  index 
which  will  show  you  at  a  glance  just  where  you  can  tind 
an  article  on  a  given  subject,  or  any  particular  directions 
or  formula.  Index  your  periodicals  by  volume  and 
number,  or  by  year  and  number,  also  giving  the  page 
and  it  will  save  you  a  world  of  time  and  trouble  when 
you  wish  to  read  up  on  any  particular  subject. 


CHAPTIlR  XIX  * 

The  early  fathers  of  photography  soon  discovered, 
when  they  worked  with  glass  plates,  that  if  it  was  neces- 
sary to  set  the  camera  in  a  subdued  light  and  point  it 
towards  a  bright  light,  the  outline  surrounding  the  bright 
light,  instead  of  being  sharp  and  distinct,  was  invisible  and 
in  its  place  there  was  a  blurred  appearance,  a  halo,  like 
that  sometimes  seen  around  the  moon,  or  the  heads  of 
holy  personages  in  the  pictures  by  the  old  masters.  This 
disagreeable  photographic  effect  is  very  noticeable  in 
interiors  where  windows  have  to  be  taken  and  no  little 
trouble  and  anxiety  are  sometimes  the  lot  of  the  pro- 
fessional photographer,  who  has  to  make  the  picture 
from  whatever  point  of  view  his  client  demands  Many 
a  very  beautiful  photograph  of  a  forest  scene  too  is 
spoiled  by  the  halation  around  the  leaves  of  the  trees. 

Halation  is  supposed  to  be  produced,  when  the  plat^ 
is  exposed  in  the  camera,  by  the  rays  of  light  from  the 
window  through  the  trees,  or  from  any  highly  polished 
surface, such  as  silver,  passing  through  the  film  and  being 
reflected  from  the  back  surface  of  the  plate.  In  all 
probability  the  refraction  of  the  light,  caused  by  passing 
through  the  glass,  plays  a  very  considerable  part  also. 
This  theory  is  supported  by  the  fact  that  very  little 
halation  is  seen,  in  celluloid   negatives,  commonly  called 

*ByGeo.  J.  M.Ashby,  Chicago.  231 


232  MODERN    FHOTOGRAPHY 

"films"  where  the  celluloid  support  for  the  sensitive 
film  is  comparatively  thin  and  the  surface  of  the  celluloid 
is  not  so  bright  as  that  of  glass. 

It  has  long  been  known  that  halation  could  be  reduced 
or  entirely  presented  by  painting  the  back  of  the  plate 
with  a  suitable  preparation,  but  all  the  methods  recom- 
mended were  so  objectionable,  for  one  reason  or  another, 
mostly  tor  their  messiness,  that  few  photographers  cared 
to  adopt  them.  The  effective  preparations  for  backing 
plates  were  found  to  be  asphaltum  varnish  or  a  solution 
of  burnt  sugar,  to  which  some  powdered  color,  prefer- 
ably sienna  earth,  was  added.  This  did  not  appear  to 
satisfy  every  one,  for  so  recently  as  in  last  year's  Photo- 
graphic Journal  Almanac,  there  was  a  description  of  a 
process  for  backing  plates  with  asphaltum.  The  author 
of  the  paper  vaunted  this  method  as  being  the  best  of 
all  and  stated  that  "  the  backing  could  be  veiy  easily 
removed  with  a  carpenter's  chisel." 

The  same  publication  contained  a  paper  by  another 
author  recommending  a  solution  of  burnt  sugar  for  back- 
ing plates  without  the  admixture  of  sienna  earth  or  any 
other  coloring  matter.  The  directions  for  preparing  the 
backing  solution  were  formidable,  inasmuch  as  heating 
the  sugar  was  said  to  produce  first,  caramelane,  then 
carameline  and  lastly,  caramelin.  The  temperatures 
were  given  at  which  the  various  substances  were  formed. 
Caramelane  was  not  wanted  as  it  had  too  little  coloring 
property  and  was  hygroscopic,  v^  hile  the  product  ot  the 


IN  THEORY  AND  PRACTICE,  233 

highest  temperature,  caramelin,  was  insoluble,  so  a 
separation  had  to  be  made  by  means  of  alcohol  in  which 
the  carcg;neline  was  precipitated.  Notwithstanding 
these  and  more  complications  I  was  tempted  to  try  it, 
partly  because  of  the  very  sensible  plan  being  recom- 
mended of  applying  a  thin  sheet  of  paper  to  the  back  of 
the  plate  upon  which  the  caramel  solution  had  been 
painted. 

I  tried  the  backing  with  carameline  and  found  the 
result  in  a  negative  made  with  a  backed  plate  so  much 
superior  to  an  unbacked  one  that  I  determined  to  back 
all  plates  in  future.  My  first  solution  was  made  in  strict 
accordance  with  the  directions,  carefully  observing  the 
temperatures,  separating  with  alcohol,  then  adding  a 
proportion  of  carmelane  to  prevent  the  backing  becom- 
ing too  hard,  etc.,  but  when  the  next  lot  of  backing 
solution  had  to  be  prepared  I  attempted  to  simplify  the 
operation  and  succeeded  perfectly.  The  way  I  now  do 
it  is  as  follows: 

A  pound  of  the  ordinary  crystalized  sugar,  the  kind 
we  sweeten  our  tea  with,  is  put  in  a  frying  pan,  which  is 
placed  upon  the  kitchen  gas  stove.  The  sugar  is  stirred 
with  an  iron  spoon — a  stick  would  do  as  well — this  stir- 
ring is  continued  the  whole  time  so  that  the  sugar  be- 
comes heated  equally  throughout.  In  a  few  minutes  it 
melts,  then  changes  color,  becoming  yellow,  light  brown, 
dark  brown,  then  very  dark.  At  this  moment  I  pour  a 
few  drops  of  water  in   from  a  jug  of   boiling  water  that 


234  MODERN    PHOTOGRAPHY 

has  been  placed  ready  to  hand.  The  frying  operation 
is  continued,  a  few  drops  of  water  being  added  from 
time  to  time  to  prevent  the  sugar  from  becoming  too 
hard,  until  it  is  almost  black;  then,  while  it  is  still  hot,  I 
add  hot  water  a  little  at  a  time,  stirring  the  while,  until 
the  solution  is  of  the  thickness  of  ordinary  mucilage  and 
a  very  dark  brown  or  reddish  black  color.  I  pour  this 
into  a  bottle,  whereupon  it  is  ready  for  use.  To  about 
six  ounces  of  the  solution  I  add  an  ounce  of  wood  alcohol, 
though  I  am  doubtful  of  the  value  of  it  and  the  next 
quantity  of  backing  will  have  the  alcohol  omitted.  The 
whole  operation  does  not  take  more  than  a  quarter  of 
an  hour  and  a  pound  of  sugar  will  make  backing  solu- 
tion to  coat  two  gross  of  8x  lo  plates. 

The  next  point  is  the  coating  or  backing  of  the  plates. 
I  like  to  buy  my  plates  by  the  gross,  then  I  know  that, 
so  long  as  they  last,  there  is  no  trouble  with  variation  in 
the  speed  of  the  emulsion.  The  most  convenient  time 
to  back  plates  is  when  all  the  family  has  gone  to  bed 
and  the  gas  can  be  turned  out  or  the  electric  light 
switched  off  everywhere.  On  a  large  table  I  set  out 
four  plate-drying  racks,  these  will  hold  six  dozen  or 
more  plates.  In  front  of  me  is  the  ruby  lamp  and  a 
saucer  with  backing  solution  and  in  this  is  a  flat  varnish- 
brush,  two  inches  wide.  On  my  right  is  a  pile  of  black 
or  brown  tissue  paper,  cut  to  the  size  for  covering  the 
back  of  a  plate  nearly  to  the  edge;  if  I  am  backing 
8x  ID  plates  my  paper  is  7^  x  0%  and  this  size  cut  into 


IN  THEORY  AND  PRACTICE.  235 

four  is  right  for  4x5  plates.  All  lights  being  out,  except 
the  ruby  lamp,  a  box  is  opened  and  a  pair  of  plates 
taken  out  and  held  just  as  they  are  packed  with  their 
films  together,  the  back  of  one  plate  is  painted  with  the 
solution  of  caramel,  upon  this  a  piece  of  the  tissue  paper 
is  laid.  The  pair  is  then  turned  over  and  the  other 
plate  is  painted,  a  piece  of  tissue  paper  is  spread  upon 
this  and  the  pair  of  plates  is  put  in  the  rack  to  dry.  As 
the  two  plates  are  not  separated  the  film  surface  is  not 
exposed  at  any  time.  Another  couple  of  plates  is  taken 
out  and  treated  in  a  similar  manner,  until  all  are  done, 
whereupon  another  box  of  plates  is  opened.  It  will  be 
found  that  before  six  dozen  plates  are  backed  the  first 
dozen  will  be  found  to  be  dry  enough  to  put  back  again 
in  the  carton  or  plate  box.  Even  when  the  backing 
was  not  absolutely  dry  before  returning  them  to  the 
box  I  have  not  found  any  harm  result  to  the  plates, 
though  I  do  not  recommend  repacking  in  a  moist  state. 
The  next  thing  is  the  removal  of  the  backing  when 
developing  and  this  is  the  simplest  operation  of  all;  no 
carpenter's  chisel  is  needed  for  this.  The  removal  may 
be  said  to  be  automatic,  for  as  the  caramel  has  no  effect 
upon  the  developer,  except,  perhaps,  that  of  making  its 
action  slightly  slower,  the  plate,  with  its  backing,  can 
be  dropped  into  the  developer  without  further  ceremony 
and  in  a  few  seconds  the  paper  is  detached  from  the 
plate  and  the  caramel  is  dissolved.  As  my  favorite  de- 
veloper is  Tolidol  whicii  I  use  over  and  over  again  until 


236  MODERN    PHOTOGRAPHY 

it  is  exhausted,  I  prefer  to  remove  the  backing  and  the 
paper  before  putting  the  plate  in  the  developer.  This 
is  done  with  the  greatest  ease  by  a  few  strokes  with  a 
small  wet  sponge. 

The  power  that  caramel  has  of  preventing  halation 
is  very  remarkable.  It  occurred  to  me  that  a  solution 
of  Spanish  licorice,  being  of  much  the  same  color  as 
caramel,  might  answer  the  purpose  as  well  and  dispense 
with  the  use  of  the  family  fry-pan.  I  tried  this,  putting 
black  or  brown  tissue  paper  on  the  back  of  the  plate 
as  in  the  other  case,  but  the  result  was  a  complete  dis- 
appointment; in  fact  the  halation  seemed  rather  worse 
in  a  plate  backed  with  licorice  than  with  a  plain  un- 
backed plate. 

The  two  illustrations  are  of  an  interior  from  backed 
and  unbacked  plates  that  received  exactly  similar  treat- 
ment, both  in  exposing  and  developing.  The  test  was 
sufliciently  severe,  as  the  sun  was  shining  upon  the 
window  at  4  in  the  afternoon  of  a  fine,  clear  day,  early 
in  September. 

The  subject  of  halation  should  not  be  treated  without 
a  reference  to  the  non-halation  plates  invented,  about 
eight  or  nine  years  ago,  by  Dr.  Sandell,  in  which  hala- 
tion is  prevented  by  the  constitution  of  the  film  and  not 
by  backing.  I  want  to  say  here  that  I  think  it  would 
be  a  graceful  act  on  the  part  of  our  plate  manufacturers 
who  use  this  invention  to,  at  least,  give  credit  to  the 
inventor. 


Taken  on  an  Ordinary  Plate. 


Taken  on  the  Same  Brand  of  Plates  Backed. 


IN    THEORY    AND    PRACTICE.  237 

The  Sandell  non-halation  plate  is  coated  with  two  ot 
three  films  of  different  degrees  of  sensitiveness,  the  one 
film   being    much  more   sensitive  than   another.     It    is 


Fig.  j6. 


probable  that  where  the  surfaces  of  two  films  unite  they 
form  gradations  equivalent  to  having  a  number  of  films, 
each  of  a  different  degree   of  sensitiveness.     This  very 


238  MODERN    PHOTOGRAPHY 

largely  increases  the  latitude  of  exposure,  for  if  one  ol 
the  sensitive  planes  is  over  and  another  is  under  exposed 
there  will  be  one  in  between  them  that  will  be  right;  at 
the  same  time — in  the  triple  coated  plate — halation  is 
effectually  prevented. 

The  triple  coated  plate  has  remarkable  properties  and 
a  print  from  a  negative,  that  a  friend  sent  me  from  the 
other  side,  shows  this.  The  photograph  is  of  a  power- 
ful flash  light  or  magnesium  torch  in  front  of  the  lens. 
There  is  such  a  complete  absence  of  halation  that  all 
the  details  of  the  background  are  distinctly  seen  and  a 
man  sitting  near  the  magnesium  light  (I  think  my  friend 
said  this  is  Dr.  Sandell)  is  perfectly  distinct. 

Before  I  took  to  backing  plates  I  used  the  double 
coated  plates  for  about  two  years,  but  found  they  were 
not  always  to  be  relied  upon  and  halation  would  fre- 
quently appear.  There  is  much  less  pleasure  in  develop- 
ing a  double  or  triple  coated  plate  as  the  details  are  not 
so  distinctly  seen.  These  plates  should  be  left  at  least 
four  times  as  long  in  the  fixing  bath.  I  may  say  here, 
that  in  an  acid,  chrome-alum  and  sulphite  fixing  bath,  a 
plate  may  remain  for  a  long  while  without  suffering.  I 
once  overlooked  one  of  a  set  of  8  x  10  negatives,  leaving 
it  in  the  fixing  box  for  twelve  days  and  it  was  not  in  the 
least  degree  the  w^orse;  it  is  not  possible  now  to  pick 
out  this  plate  from  the  others  of  the  set.  It  should  be 
noted  that  the  plate  was  on  its  edge  in  a  grooved  fixing 
box,  the  only  way  in  which  fixing  should  be  done. 


IN    THEORY    AND    PRACTICE,  239 

The  triple-coated  plate  is  too  expensive  for  ordinary 
use  and  I  do  not  consider  the  double-coated  plate  quite 
so  good  as  that  with  a  carmalene  backing.  Another 
advantage  the  photographer  has  in  doing  his  own  back- 
ing, in  addition  to  the  excellent  result  and  the  low  cost, 
is  that  he  can  use  any  plate  on  the  market;  for  my  part 
I  always  use  one  of  the  low-priced  plates  and  shall  con- 
tinue to  do  so  until  some  one  else  does  better  work  on 
the  expensive  plates  than  I  can  on  the  cheaper  ones. 


CHAPTER  XX  * 

The  aim  of  all  photographers,  whether  professional 
or  amateur,  is  to  make  a  negative  which  will  produce  a 
bright  clear  picture,  (for  with  a  poor  negative  this  is  im- 
possible) and  to  attain  this  two  things  are  necessary 
namely,  correct  exposure  of  the  plate  to  the  action  of 
light  through  the  lens,  and  correct  development. 

The  first  of  these  is  the  more  important,  though  if  the 
exposure  is  not  correct  it  is  sometimes  possible  to  vary 
the  development  *so  as  to  make  a  fairly  good  negative 
from  a  very  badly  timed  plate. 

I  find  the  main  difficulty  to  all  beginners  is  in  not 
having  a  clear  idea  of  the  simple  principles  of  what 
governs  the  timing  of  a  plate  correctly,  and  I  shall 
therefore  endeavor  to  give  a  few  of  the  more  impor- 
tant factors  which  come  into  consideration  every  time  a 
picture  is  taken. 

All  plates  of  a  certain  make  and  sensitiveness  require 
a  certain  amount  of  light  admitted  to  them  through  the 
lens  in  order  to  effect  the  proper  chemical  change  to 
make  a  good  negative.  Either  more  or  less  than  this 
certain  quantity  will  remove  the  quality  of  the  resultant 
negative  just  so  far  from  perfection.  Our  object  then 
must  be  to  learn  just  how  much  light  to  admit  to  the 
plate.     No  absolute  rule  can  be  laid  down  for   this  but 

•  By  R.  D.  Cleveland,  Chicago.  240 


IN  THEORY  AND  PRACTICE.  24I 

each  must  learn  by  experience  and  careful  observation 
after  knowing  the  main  principles. 

Now  suppose  that  instead  of  a  camera  and  lens  you  have 
a  tin  box  with  a  water  tap  running  into  it.  You  are  told 
to  let  a  pint  of  water  into  the  box  as  quickly  as  you  can. 
Of  course  you  open  the  tap  as  wide  as  you  can  and  let  it  in 
with  a  rush  and  then  shut  it  off.  If  you  are  told  how- 
ever to  let  it  in  slowly  you  open  the  tap  only  a  little  way 
and  leave  it  open  much  longer.  And  this  is  just  what 
should  be  done  with  the  light  on  a  negative.  The  amount 
of  light  admitted  is  governed  in  two  ways;  by  the  length 
of  time  the  lens  is  opened  and  by  the  size  of  the  opening 
through  which  the  Hght  is  admitted  and  the  two  must  be 
considered  together. 

The  stops  or  diaphragms  to  a  lens  are  for  the  purpose  of 
sharpening  or  equalizing  the  focus  but  they  also  limit  the 
admission  of  light  according  to  the  areas  of  their  openings. 

The  areas  of  circles  are  to  each  other  as  the  squares 
of  their  diameters.  The  stops  to  the  best  lenses  now  are 
usually  marked  with  the  diameter  of  the  circle  propor- 
tionate to  the  focal  length  of  the  lens.  That  is,  suppose 
your  lens  has  an  eight  inch  focus,  then  a  stop  of  one  inch 
in  diameter  would  be  marked  f  8,  and  of  half  an  inch 
in  diameter^/"  i6. 

Now,  no  matter  what  the  focal  length  of  your  lens, 
stops  of  similar  marks  bear  the  same  relative  size  to  their 
individual  lenses  and  to  each  other.  To  illustrate,  if  you 
have  one  stop  marked  y"  4,  and  another  y  8,  their  areas 


242  MODERN    PHOTOGRAPHY 

would  be  as  16  to  64  or  the  larger  one  would  be  four 
times  greater  than  the  smaller,  would  admit  four  times 
as  much  light  and  therefore  would  require  only  one 
quarter  as  long  exposure  in  the  same  light.  Oiher  size 
openings  of  course  would  be  in  proportion  and  the  rela- 
tive areas  and  limes  of  exposure  v^ery  easily  calculated. 

Suppose  now  for  instance  you  know  (or  think  you 
do,)  that  you  could  get  a  good  negative  in  the  i-iooth  of 
a  second  with  an  f  4  stop;  then  with  an  f  32  stop 
you  would  get  the  same  quality  negative  or  admit  the 
same  amount  of  light  to  the  plate  in  /'j^  of  a  second. 
This  is  one  reason  why  time  exposures  with  small  stops 
are  more  likely  to  give  good  results  than  instantaneous 
with  large  stops.  With  the  large  stop  just  mentioned  if 
you  had  given  the  plate  yf^  exposure,  you  would  have 
doubled  the  time  and  might  have  spoiled  your  negative, 
while  with  the  small  stop  to  double  the  exposure  you 
must  give  about  i^  seconds.  Thus  with  the  small  slop 
your  latitude  of  exposure  is  vastly  increased  and  yciur 
chances  of  spoiling  a  plate  from  either  over  or  under  <;x- 
posure  are  correspondingly  diminished. 

Thus  you  see  the  time  necessary  for  a  correct  (;^x- 
posure  so  far  as  the  stops  are  concerned  is  always  in 
proportion  to  their  size  and  this  you  can  calculate  ex- 
actly by  knowing  their  relative  diameters.  It  will  be 
found  the  least  confusing  in  practice  to  confine  yourself 
generally  to  the  use  of  but  two  stops;  the  largest  one  that 
will  cut  the  plate  sharp  all  over  for  instantaneous,  and 


IN     THEORY    AND     PRACTICE.  24.3 

one  of  the  smaller  for  time.  The  relative  areas  of  these 
two  can  be  learned  and  applied  quickly  at  any  time, 
while  more  will  simply  be  confusing.  For  those  who  do 
not  fully  understand  the  marks  on  their  stops  I  will  say 
the  relative  times  of  exposure  are  as  follows: 
Assuming^*  4  to  be  represented  by  i. 


/4 

/8 

/16 

/32 

/64 

I 

4 

16 

64 

256 

That  is  f  64  would  require  256  times  the  exposure 
thaty  4  would  in  the  same  light. 

The  variations  of  intensity  of  the  light  at  different 
times  of  day  and  different  seasons  of  the  year  have  also 
to  be  taken  into  consideration,  but  this  too  may  be 
learned  quite  easily  and  carried  in  the  head  or  the  mem- 
orandum book. 

You  all  know  that  the  light  of  the  sun  is  strongest  in 
July  and  that  it  is  much  more  intense  at  noon  than  at 
nine  or  four  o'clock,  and  by  learning  just  what  this  dif- 
ference is  it  will  help  you  very  materially  in  correct 
timing.  From  the  table  in  the  American  Annual  for 
1893  page  329  I  quote  a  few  figures,  and  any  of  you 
who  care  to  can  get  more  of  them. 

At  noon  in  July  with  a  given  stop,  if  you  require  an 
exposure  of  -^^  of  a  second,  at  3  o'clock  you  require  i  -^^ 
seconds  and  at  6  o'clock  4  seconds. 

In  January  under  similar  conditions  it  would  take  i  j''jj 
seconds  at  noon,  4  -^^  at  3  o'clock  and  9  at  4  o'clock. 


244  MODERN     PHOTOGRAPH V 

Now  we  come  to  the  point  of  how  much  we  may  vary 
over  or  under  the  correct  time  of  exposure  and  still  have 
a  fairly  good  negative. 

In  order  to  test  this  roughly  I  exposed  a  number  of 
plates  on  the  same  object,  one  after  the  other,  with  the 
lame  stop  timing  them  from  i  to  40  as  nearly  as  possible, 
and  developed  them  all  together. 

They  were  made  on  Seed  26  plates  on  a  cloudy  day 
with  a  single  combination  Darlot  lens  with  about  an 
/*32  stop  and  developed  with  Hydrochinone  developer. 
I  numbered  them  in  regular  order,  and  assuming  No.  3 
as  10  they  were  timed  as  follows:  No.  1,-2;  No.  2,-5; 
No.  3,  -  10;  No.  4,  -  20;  No.  5,  -  30;  No.  6,  -  40.  No.  3 
proved  the  best  negative  though  No.  2  with  y^^  less  ex- 
posure and  No.  4  with  double  the  exposure  of  No.  3 
were  also  pretty  good  and  with  slight  care  in  the  develop- 
ment might  easily  have  been  made  very  good.  From 
this  I  conclude  roughly  that  we  may  have  a  latitude  of  ex- 
posure from  one  half  below  the  best  point  to  one  half 
above  and  still  be  reasonably  sure  of  a  good  negative. 

If  you  take  this  latitude  with  a  small  stop  and  long 
time  it  is  pretty  great,  but  when  you  have  got  to  measure 
it  in  the  hundredths  or  fiftieths  of  a  second  as  you  have 
to  with  snap  shots  it  is  getting  it  down  pretty  fine  for 
most  amateurs  and  they  need  not  wonder  when  they 
spoil  plates  with  their  kodaks. 

In  short  it  resolves  itself  into  this.  When  you  can  get 
a  good  negative  in  the  i-iooth  of  a  second,  if  you  give  it 


IN     THEORY    AND     PRACTICE.  245 

7^7  or  yf ^  you  may  spoil  your  negative  entirely.  As  a 
consequence  of  this  knowledge  no  experienced  photog- 
rapher will  take  an  instantaneous  picture  when  he  can 
possibly  get  anything  else. 

Now  having  exposed  your  plates  you  must  develope 
them,  n  you  have  timed  them  right  this  will  give  you 
no  trouble  as  they  will  almost  develop  themselves  with 
any  good  developer. 

Of  developers  there  are  so  many  good  formulas  any 
of  which  work  well  that  I  refrain  from  giving  any. 

I  have  gotten  equally  good  negatives  with  oxalate, 
pyro,  hydro.,  eiko.,  Rodinal  and  Amidol  and  all  I  can 
say  is,  get  one  that  has  been  well  tested  by  good  judges, 
learn  its  peculiarites  and  stick  to  it. 

On  the  continent  the  best  photographers  still  stick  to 
their  first  love-Oxalate  of  potassium  and  iron;  while  in 
England  I  believe  the  most  popular  is  pyrogallic  acid  and 
ammonia.  We  Americans  try  every  new  patent  medicine 
that  the  dealers  advertise  as  "  better  than  all  others " 
and  make  ourselves  sick  if  we  were  not  before. 

All  plates  have  full  directions  for  development  contained 
in  the  box  with  them  and  they  can  generally  be  followed 
with  good  results.  If  you  are  uncertain  about  the 
correctness  of  your  timing  it  is  best  to  put  the  plate 
first  into  old  or  diluted  developer  and  see  how  it  acts. 
If  it  blackens  all  over  quickly  it  is  probably  over 
exposed  and  should  be  taken  out  and  washed  and  a 
different  developer  used.     If  it  is  a  long  time  in  show- 


246  MODERN    PHOTOGRAPHY 

ing  the  image  it  is  under  exposed  and  should  be  treated 
accordingly. 

If  very  much  either  over  or  under  exposed  and  it  is 
something  that  you  can  take  again,  my  advice  would  be, 
don't  waste  time  on  it  but  throw  it  away  and  take  an- 
other. However,  it  may  be  your  picture  cannot  be 
taken  again  in  which  case  it  is  worth  a  little  labor. 

If  it  is  under  exposed  weaken  your  developer  and  let 
there  be  an  excess  of  alkali  in  it;  cover  your  tray  from  all 
light  and  let  it  remain  until  all  the  detail  is  out  that  will 
come.  Then  to  strengthen  add  the  normal  amount  of 
pyro  or  hydro  solution  until  the  negative  is  quite  black 
and  then  put  in  the  hypo.  If  the  plate  is  over  exposed 
the  simplest  method  is  to  add  a  few  drops  of  a  10  per 
cent,  solution  of  bromide  of  potassium  or  ammonium  and 
this  will  generally  correct  any  but  an  excessively  over 
timed  exposure. 

Practice  of  exposure  with  careful  note  of  the  time  and 
the  resultant  negative  will  soon  make  you  almost  certain 
of  your  time  in  any  light,  and  then  the  development  will 
be  very  plain  sailing. 


IDCX 


Actinic  Property  of  Light,  23 

Air  Bulb,  108 

Al-Vista  Camera,  184-190 

Aristotype  Papers,  1 1 1 

Backing  Plates,  232-236 

Blisters  on  Negatives,  8q 

Blue  Prints,  109 

Bromide  Enlargements,  210-224 

of  Silver,  21 

Papers,  143 
Brown  Stains  on  Negatives,  87 
Burnishing  Prints,  228 
Cameras,  5-20 

Bellows,  5 

Box,  5-10 

Copying,  212 

Enlarging,  212 

Film,  6 

Fixed  Focus,  10 

Folding  Box,  12 

Glass  Plate,  6 

Lantern  Slide,  205-207 

Magazine,  16  20 

Panoramic,  188 

Premo,  10 

Reducing,  212 

Reversible  Back,  16 

Stereoscopic,  i8o 

to  Level,  40 
Carbon  Tissue,  155-166 


Card  Mounts,  226 
Chloride  of  Silver,  21 
Chemical  Action  of  Light,  21 
Cloud  Photography,  191-196 
Color  Photography,  191-196 
Screens,  26,  191 -196 
Sensitive  Plates,  25 
Constituency  of  Plates,  22 
of  Light,  23 
Crystalization  on  Negatives,  88 
Cutting  Down  Prints,  227 
Dark  Rooms,  53-59 

to  Ventilate,  59 
Delta  Matt  Papers,  132 
Developing,  44-52 

Films,  74 

Papers,    109,     134-152, 

155-166 
Tray,  45 
Developers,  48,  67-76,  150-152,  245 
Amidol,  68 
Bromo  -  Hydrochinon 

73 
Carbutt's,68,  70,  72,  73 
Cramer's,  71,  72,  73 
Eastman's,  73 
Eikonogen,68,  72-74 
Glycine,  74 
Hammer's,  70,  71 
Hydrochinon,    68,    71 


247 


248 


INDEX. 


Developers,  Hydrochinon,  72,73,74 
Metol,  68,  71,  72 
Metol-Bicarbonate,  72 
Metol  -  Hydrochinon, 

68,  71,  72 
Pyro,  48,  67,  69-72 
Pyro-Metol,  68 
Pyro-Soda,  69,  70 
Rodinal,  68,  75-152 
Seeds,  48,  69,  72 
Stanley's,  70,  71 
Tolidol,  152 
Transparency,  73 

Diaphragms  or  Stops,  240-244 

Double  Toning,  117 

Drying  Negatives,  64 
Racks,  46 

Dusting  Plates,  108 

Enlargement  on  Bromide,  210-224 
Table  for,  213 

Enlarging  Lantern,  223 

Er>*thro  Plates,  25 

Exposing  the  Plate,  39 

Exposure,  23 

for  Night   Photography, 

178 
Record,  34 

Factors,  67, 68 

Ferrogallic  Papers,  140 

Films,  Developing  and  Fixing,  74 

Fixing  Baths,  77 

Covers  for,  64 

Fixing  Box,  45 
Films,  74 

Flash  Light  Photography,  197-200 

Focal  Length  of  Lenses,  214 


Focusing,  42 

-.     Cloth,  40 
Fog  on  Negatives,  91 
Freak  Photographs,  167 
Frilling  of  Negatives,  89 
Funnels,  47 

Glace  Finish  on  Prints,  228 
Gold  Baths  for  Aristo,  122 

For  Delta  Matt,  134 

For  Uranium,  142 
Graduate,  47 

Green  Fog  on  Negative,  88 
Halation,  how  Produced,  231 

to  Avoid,  173,  232  239 
Holders,  Plate,  32 
Home  Made  Mounts,  227 
Ideal  Duplicator,  171 
Imitation  Moonlight  Photographs, 
172 

Oil  Paintings,  168 
Intensification,  79-84 
Intensifier,  Mercury,  79 

Carbutt's,  82 

Cramer's,  81 

Uranium,  83 
Isochromatic  Plates,  25 
Kirkland's  Lithium  Paper,  130 
Lantern  Slides,  201-209 
Length  of  Exposure,  244 
Lenses,  Focal  Length  of,  214 
Leveling  the  Camera,  40 
Lightning  Photography,  175 
Loading  Plate  Holders,  29 
Local   Reduction,  85,  86,  87 
Monocrome  Papers,  141 
Moonlight  Photographs,  172 


INDEX. 


249 


Mottled  Negatives,  88 
Mounting  Cards,  226 

Enlargements,  222.  223 
Paste,  225 
Mounting  Prints,  224 
Multiplex  Device,  171 
Negative  Covers,  64 
Negatives,  Blistered,  89 
Brown,  87 
Crystalized,  88 
Fogged, 91 
Frilled,  89 
Mottled,  88 
Retouching,  97-105 
Spotting  Out,  93 
Streaked, go 
Weak  or  Thin,  88 
Yellow,  87 
NighfPhotography,  176 
Non-Halation  Plates,  173,  176,236 
Orthochromatic  Plates,  25 
Panorama  Cameras,  186-190 
Panoramic  Photographs,  186  190 
Photographic  Plates,  21 
Photographing     by     Flash    Light 
197-200 

Clouds,  191 -196 
at  Night,  176 
Lightning,  175 
Photographs,  Several  on  one  Plate, 

169- 1 81 
Plate  Holders,  32 

How  to  Back,  232-236 
How  to  Expose,  39 
Lifters,  46 
to  Dust,  108 


Plates,  Banner,  27 

Carbutt,  27 

Color  Sensitive,  25 

Cramer,  27 

Crown,  27 

Eclipse,  27 

Erythro,  25 

Hammer,  27 

Isochromatic,  25 

Orthochromatic,  25 

Photographic,  21 

Seed,  27 

Sensitometer  of,  27 

Stanley,  27 
Platinum   Toning   Bath,    119,    124, 

133.  153 
Platinotype  Papers,  152 
Portraits,  to  Retouch,  97-105 
Preservation  of  Chemicals,  68 
Printing  and  Toning,  106-166 
Printing  Frames,  106,  187 

Panoramic,  187 
Printing  Papers,  Aristo,  1 12-130 
Blue  Label,  112 
Blue  Prints,  135 
Bromide,  143 
Carbon,  155-166 
Delta  Matt,  132 
Ferrogallic,  140 
Junior  Aristo,  112 
Lithium,  130 
Monochrome,  141 
Platinotype,  152 
Uranium,  142 
Velox,  150 
Pure  Water  129 


250 


INDKy 


Racks,  Drying,  46 
Ray  Filters,  26,  191-196 
Record  of  Exposure,  34 
Reducers,  84-87 

Alcohol,  86.  87 
Reducers,  Belitzki's,  85 

Hammer's,  84 

Lainer's,  85 
Reduction,  Local,  85,  86,  87 
Restrainers,  77 
Retouching  Negatives,  97-103 

Stands,  98,  101 
Rodinal,  68,  75,  152 
Ruby  Fabric,  28 

Lamps,  28,  57  62 
Scrap  Book,  the,  230 
Sensitometer  of  Plates,  2"] 
Sepia  Tones  on  Platino,  1 16 
Silhouette  Pictures,  199 
Single  Toning  for  Aristo,  1 19 
Sizes  of  Stops,  241 
Slides,  Lantern,  201-209 
Snap  Shots,  41,  244 
Spotting  Out,  93 


Stereoscopic  Cameras,  180-186 

Photography,  180-186 
Pictures,  with  Ordi- 
nary Camera,  182-184 

Stops  or  Diaphragms,  240-244 

Streaks  on  Negatives,  90 

Table  of  Enlargements,  213 

Time  Exposure,  42 

Tolidol,  75,  76,  152 

Transpariencies,  210-213 

Transparent  Spots  on  Negatives,  90 

Trays,  Developing,  45 

Trimming    and   Mounting   Stereo- 
Pictures,  184-186 

Trimming  and     Mounting   Prints, 
224 

Tripods,  37 

Uranium  Papers,  142 

Use  of  Stops,  240-244 

Velox  Papers,  150 

Ventilation  for  Dark  Rooms,  59 

Water,  Pure,  129 

Weak  Negatives,  83 

Yellow  Negatives,  87 


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